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jnginlov · 9 months

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ateez as romantic tropes

⇀ genre fluff, angst, comedy

⇀ style blurbs

⇀ wc listed per member (between 1.1k and 2.2k)

⇀ warnings all readers are gender neutral, listed per member

⇀ reactions from the gc “Yep mhm would def swoon over him yes mhm yep” “BRUH I give you all of your content for free” “I need Yunho to help me obliterate my kitchen cabinets” “Losing my mf mind over him”

note word count variation does not reflect any preference for specific members, some stories just felt like they needed more backstory or had more action

home for the holidays

⇀ pairing hs crush!seonghwa x hs crush!reader

⇀ wc 1.5k

⇀ warnings mentions of food

“seonghwa! come in!” his mother greeted him at the door of his childhood home, ushering him inside quickly before enveloping him in a warm hug.

she bombarded him with questions about his life in seoul, what he’d been eating, how he’d been sleeping, as he removed his shoes. he tried to keep up with all of her fussing as he dragged his suitcase down the hall and into his bedroom but he could barely get out more than a few words before she was moving onto her next thought.

“anyway, your father went out to pick up some tofu so i could make you sundubu-jjigae,” she explains before she’s cut off by the sound of the doorbell and the kitchen timer going off simultaneously.

“i‘ll get the door,” seonghwa volunteers before his mother can say anything else, and pads back to where he had been only moments prior.

he’s not exactly sure what he expected on the other side of the door, especially so late in the evening, but he thinks he might be able to feel every nerve ending on his body alight when he opens the door to find you.

you look both severely different and exactly the same as when he’d last seen you, minus the lack of your high school’s blue uniform. of course you’ve changed your hair, your style seems to have improved as well, but mostly you just look more mature, more you, if that’s possible.

“oh, seonghwa,” you chirp, your surprise evident on your face, “i didn’t know you were back.”

“i didn’t know you were still in town,” he counters, his expression mirroring your own.

you don’t say anything, simply trying to process that the boy you’d had a crush on in high school had become, well, a man. he was considerably more attractive than he had been years ago, if that was even possible, and he almost seemed to hold himself with more confidence even if he was just standing in the middle of the entryway of his childhood home. you try to urge your mind to stay in the present but it can’t help but dig up your old memories of high school seonghwa and all the reasons you should have told him you liked him back then.

when you don’t say anything, seonghwa speaks up, asking, “is there something i can do for you?”

you suddenly are remembering your mission and the tote bag that’s weighing down your shoulder, housing the reason you’ve been coming to his parents house for the past few months.

“right!” you say, taking one of the containers out of your bag and presenting it to seonghwa. “this is for your mom.”

just as you mention her, seonghwa can hear his mom shuffling down the hall behind him, her slippers slapping against the wood floor to announce her coming.

“y/n is that you?” she says once she’s right behind her son. “well don’t make them stand outside,” she scolds seonghwa, gesturing for him to move so that you can step past the threshold.

“hi mrs park,” you greet his mother with a bow, still holding the container in your hands as you trade your outside shoes for the guest slippers.

“you shouldn’t be walking this late by yourself dear,” she scolds gently before heading back to the kitchen, you pittering after her lightly.

for a moment seonghwa stands in shock, doorknob still clutched in his hand and gears turning in his head. since when had you become friends with his mom? and since when did you start knowing which ones were the guest slippers? and since when had he started to miss you?

“and i wanted to get it to you while it was fresh.”

seonghwa joins you both in the kitchen and catches the tail end of your statement, presumably an explanation as to why you’re walking to his house so late.

“it would have been perfectly fine tomorrow,” his mother only replies, removing the lid from the container you’d given her and revealing a loaf of, what looked to be, homemade bread.

“it’s a cinnamon milk bread,” you say and seonghwa turns to see you looking at him. he doesn’t say anything in response and you simply smile, turning back to his mother after just a moment. his mind is still reeling as he watches you, stood casually in the kitchen as though you belong here. you hold none of the awkwardness that normally is present when someone visits another’s home for the first time and some little voice in the back of his mind tells him that it feels domestic. of course, he tries to push that thought away.

“here,” his mother says after she’s transferred the bread into her own container and returned yours, “you should stay for dinner. i’m making sundubu-jjigae.”

you shake your head, a slight look of hesitation on your face and seonghwa assumes that you’ve probably stayed for dinner plenty when he was gone. “that sounds delicious but i should be getting back. i have another loaf cooling on my counter that i need to pack up,” you explain.

“well at least have seonghwa walk you back,” she suggests, and you’re obviously about to decline, based on your body language, when seonghwa insists.

you agree then, not putting up much of a fight once you know his mother isn’t forcing him for her own satisfaction, making your way back out and beginning a steady trek back to your own house.

“how’s seoul?” you ask after a beat, not wanting to walk in awkward silence the entire way.

“it’s nice,” he says simply before adding, “busy.”

you nod in understanding. “i’m sure.”

“how are you?” he asks.

as you turn to look at him again, your eyes crinkling slightly as you grin, he feels like he’s never left his hometown. he’s still sat in his desk at school watching you laugh with your friends across the room during lunch. you would always notice him staring, turning and presenting him the same warm smile you give him now.

he realizes in this moment that he wishes he’d told you, all those years ago, about what his friends always teased him for, about how much he liked you, because now it’s manifested into a gentle ache that seems to pull him back, to that time and to you. he guesses there’s a reason that people say distance makes the heart grow fonder.

you notice the expression on his face, the same one he wore in high school when he was deep in thought. not one that would appear during a test or when studying but one that would show when he was debating with his friends or talking about his future.

“what are you thinking about?” you ask to break the silence, genuine curiosity sparkling behind your eyes.

“hmmm nothing i guess,” he tries to play it off but you give him a suspicious look. “school,” he tries again, being broad about his approach.

“i guess that is the last time we saw each other,” you say and he wonders if you remember it all as clearly as him.

you toss around the idea of admitting what you never had to anyone before and maybe it’s something in the comfort of the night air or just the way seonghwa’s eyes are so focused on you but you decide that if you never say anything now you’ll surely regret it.

“you know,” you continue after another moment of silence, “i had a crush on you in high school.”

seonghwa feels his heart stop for a moment, his entire body consumed by a warmth that’s surely tinged his skin red as he tries to remember how to breath and walk at the same time.

“really?” he huffs, hoping you don’t notice how wobbly his steps have gotten.

“yeah, i don’t know, you were just really sweet and cute,” you elaborate and seonghwa can’t tell if he wants you to stop talking or continue, your voice starting to overlap with his heartbeat in his ears.

he’s so distracted trying to control himself, he almost doesn’t notice when you’ve stopped in front of your house. he certainly doesn’t notice the sly smile that’s stretched across your face, indicating that you’ve clearly observed his reaction to your news.

“how long are you going to be in town?” you ask, fiddling with the strap of your tote bag and urging your heart to stop beating up against your rib cage.

“just two weeks,” he manages to say in between deep breaths to calm his own pulse, eyes wide and lips parted slightly.

“well, let me know if you’re free at any point,” you say, preparing to take the final leap. “we can get coffee or something.”

he nods as you turn to walk toward your door and seonghwa, for the first time, feels his mouth moving before he can stop it.

“what about dinner? tomorrow?”

you turn back, smile beautifully complimenting the blush on your cheeks, and nod.

“see you then.”

foreigner

⇀ pairing white knight!hongjoong x traveler!reader

⇀ wc 1.1k

⇀ warnings implied panic attack/crying in public, street harassment, creepy middle aged guy

note i always find random hangul in fics annoying but for this you don’t need to understand what he’s saying because the whole point is you don’t

of course you would manage to get lost in the biggest city in korea on your first day of your month long trip. you’d planned for almost everything, except, of course, navigating through the intricate seoul subway system. to be fair, your friend joomi had promised to pick you up from the airport before she’d been called in on a work emergency. you had assured her that you could find your way to her apartment on your own but now, as you stood on the wrong side of the platform, watching yet another train, that would have taken you toward your destination, leave, you’re not so sure anymore.

you huff in frustration, the wheels on your suitcase clicking against the tiles as you try to find an empty bench, hoping that you can maybe collect your thoughts before you start to feel the familiar sting of tears behind your eyes. you try not to think of how you might look right now, stale from your flight, sweaty from running between trains, and slightly pathetic from being overwhelmed by something everyone else seems to have mastered.

you quickly abandon your bench search as your phone tells you how long you would have to wait for the next train and you weigh the worth of spending an hour and a half sitting in the stuffy station or dragging your suitcase around the street above, settling on trying to maybe just find a convenience store or some place to grab a coffee.

luckily the area you’re stranded doesn’t seem too crowded, the streets easy to navigate without having to serpentine between people with your month worth of luggage. you find a semi empty convenience store pretty easy enough, paying for a couple snacks, an ice cup, and a drink with ease, conscious of the way the other people in the shop are doing double takes at you, likely due to your suitcase and the duffle on your shoulder.

you’ve never been more grateful to korean convenience stores and their included seating as right now, able to finally take a breath as you sit with your food.

as you try to mind your business, texting joomi to update her about where you are and the predicament you’re in, you can almost feel a burning gaze coming from one of the tables diagonal your own. you try to ignore it, as you did with the gazes earlier, but it feels different, somehow predatory.

“이봐, 너는 어디서 왔니?”

you look up to see a man, probably in his late 50s, starring intensely at you, confirming your suspicions about his watching you.

when you don’t respond, he says something else in korean, something you can’t understand with your limited knowledge of the language, and you try not to panic, but as he stands, seemingly trying to make his way over to you, you feel your heartbeat skyrocketing.

“i don’t-“ you start, gripping your phone tightly as you flounder for what to do.

the man takes another step toward you, saying something else that you can only assume isn’t nice from the way he seems to snarl it and reaching out to grab the handle of your suitcase that you’d placed behind the chair across from you but before he can take hold of your bag it’s being pulled away by a different man, someone who looks to be around your own age.

he addresses the older man with a forced smile, obviously angered at the situation and you try to interpret what is happening before you. you can’t understand a word either man is saying, trying too hard to just process the situation you’re in, but eventually the older man leaves, your savior watching intently to make sure he’s really gone before turning to you.

“you, uh, speak english?” he asks, finally rolling your suitcase back to where you’d originally placed it, although you assume it’s more of a courtesy question as he’d probably heard your unsettled words when trying to address the other man.

you nod, a gentle “yes” escaping you as you try to parse what this new man wants from you.

“are you okay?” he asks gently.

you try to search his eyes for any sense of danger but all you can see is worry.

“i’m fine,” you say with a little more certainty than before.

“good,” he says with a slight sigh, his shoulders visibly relaxing. he looks between you and your suitcase once before speaking up again. “what are you doing here?”

you take a moment to decide whether to tell him or not but you assume if he had wanted to harm you that he wouldn’t have stepped in to help you before, and so you tell him, “i’m waiting for a train, it doesn’t come for another hour.”

he nods in understanding.

“what’s your name?” you feel yourself ask before you register what you’re actually doing.

“ah, my name is hongjoong,” he replies.

all of his words are slow, deliberate, as he speaks to you, a contrast to how quickly he was talking in korean only moments ago.

you try to slow down your own words as you ask, “how do you know english?”

he seems to almost perk up at that, interested to tell you, “oh, i’m learning right now. sorry if my grammar is bad.”

you shake your head quickly, “no, no. you’re fine. i’m just glad i have someone to talk to.”

he hums in understanding before asking, “what is your name?”

you introduce yourself, even spelling out your name for him, before you notice the plastic bag in his hands.

“oh, would you like to,” you trail off, gesturing to the seat across from you in invitation.

he seems hesitant and you almost want to take back your offer before he says, “you are sure?”

you nod with a gentle smile and he mirrors your expression, helping you move your duffle onto the ground beneath your table and taking a seat across from you.

you talk casually with hongjoong for the rest of your wait, letting him give you a list of things you should try to do with your time in seoul.

“isn’t the han river more of a date spot?” you question as he collects both of your trash into his plastic bag.

“you could take your partner,” he says, glancing at you and you know he’s trying to gauge your reaction as his ears tint pink.

“oh!” you quip, your own face blooming with warmth. “uhm no, i don’t have a boyfriend or anything,” you rush to say, flicking your gaze between the table and the floor.

“then, what if we went?” hongjoong practically whispers and your eyes shoot up to his face, his now as red as yours.

boy next door

⇀ paring mechanic!yunho x house flipper!reader

⇀ wc 1.5k

⇀ warnings mentions of food, eating, suggestive, allusions to sex, recent breakup, mentions of a cheating ex, imagining hitting said cheating ex

maybe you should have listened to your friends that told you flipping a house all by yourself was a bit ambitious, but they should have known telling you that would only make you want to do it more. your family might have called you stubborn but you liked to frame it as strong-willed. so here you sat, covered in streaks of paint as you ate your lunch on the floor of a kitchen that was still wholly unusable while the fresh varnish on the living room walls started to dry.

you had yet to buy any furniture, an air mattress your only comfort at night, after selling everything from your apartment in the city. all of it was stained by memories of your ex, moments you’d shared together before he’d told you he’d been seeing someone else behind your back for months.

it’s fine, you could use a change of scenery anyway.

the suburbs were treating you well so far, the neighbor on your right a little old lady, ms. lee, that housed and cared for the feral cats in the area who had given you the most delicious treats she made herself as a house warming gift. you’d expected your other neighbor to be similar, or maybe a little family like most suburbs attracted, but what you had experienced yesterday was far from family friendly.

you’d come back from the hardware store around noon, buckets of paint weighing you down as you made your way up the driveway. you had spotted your neighbor’s garage door open and a shiny, certainly vintage, black car peaking out from inside. however, what you hadn’t noticed when sat in your own car, but were certainly aware of now that you could see inside perfectly, was a man, clad in a black tank top and track pants, leaning into the open hood of the black car.

you weren’t the type that normally stared at people, preferring to mind your business in most public spaces, but how could you not when a man built like a greek god, skin glowing from his efforts, was grunting in frustration as his arms flexed to adjust something in the depths of the vehicle, muscles defined so clearly as he fixed whatever was wrong. you tried not to think about how long it had been since you’d last gotten intimate with anyone, your ex seemingly uninterested every time you had tried to initiate anything for such a long time that you were surely only projecting your frustrations onto the poor man in front of you.

“hey! you must be the new neighbor.”

oh no, how long had you been staring.

“oh! yeah, i just moved in.”

although he had to have noticed you checking him out, he didn’t say anything about your ogling, a warm smile adorning his handsome face instead of the disgusted snarl you were prepared for.

“you’re fixing her up all by yourself?” he asks with a tick of his chin toward your house and you’re guessing he’d talked to ms. lee after she visited you.

“that’s the plan,” you nod with a chuckle, still feeling awkward from having been caught gawking at your new hot neighbor.

“my name’s yunho,” he introduces, cleaning a spot of grease off his hands with a rag before tossing it over his shoulder gently. “i’m not particularly known for my design skills but, if you ever need someone to hammer a nail or lift something heavy, feel free to ring my bell.”

you tried not to think of the double meaning of that last phrase, begging your mind to climb out of the gutter, and assured him you would before trying not to trip over your own feet on the way up to your front door.

and so your lunch break was spent thinking about the hot guy next door and how you could manage to avoid him for the rest of your life in order to steer clear of embarrassing yourself any further. of course, you could never expect for your life to go as planned.

the next week you’ve moved your focus into the kitchen, starting with the god awful cabinets that were certainly installed without a thought to the house’s time period or even functionality. although it was physically strenuous, taking a hammer to the cheap wood of those horrible cabinets was certainly helping you release some of the anger that had been simmering since the breakup. Maybe you should have printed out a picture of your ex’s face and taped it inside.

you were so focused, and making a pretty loud ruckus, that you almost didn’t hear the sound of your doorbell ringing. trying to think of who could possibly be interested in visiting you at 3 pm on a tuesday, you made your way to your front door, leaving your hammer in the kitchen but keeping your gloves on. you would have looked through the peephole of your door to determine if it was worth opening but of course the last owner of the property felt that a peephole wasn’t necessary. although, as you open the door to your neighbor, the hottie not the lady, you’re not sure a peephole would have changed your mind.

he’s in a simple outfit today, just a white t-shirt and dark jeans, but you still have to resist giving him a full glance up and down. his hair is slightly damp and based on the way you can clearly smell his smoky vanilla shampoo you can guess he’s just had a shower.

“hi,” you greet, trying not to think of the way you’re certainly looking and smelling like you’ve been dunked in a pool of your own sweat, your house currently without air conditioning and it being late spring.

“hey,” he says, the same warm smile making a reappearance as he stands on your porch.

he doesn’t say anything else and you almost wonder if maybe the heat is starting to get to you. could this be a dehydration induced hallucination?

“can i help you?” you ask after feeling like you’ve been making enough awkward eye contact, although yunho’s smile hasn’t budged.

“right!” he chirps, as though remembering what he’s doing. “i just wanted to make sure you weren’t dead or anything. i heard a lot of things breaking and some yelling, so just wanted to make sure you’re alive.” he nods, his hair bouncing slightly and for a moment he really looks like a big puppy, eyes expectant and big as he waits for you to say something.

“oh, sorry,” you apologize, not even aware that you had been yelling but to be fair, you had been really sucked into the vision of getting to hit your ex with a hammer and make him as broken as you’d felt. “i was just taking out some anger on the old kitchen cabinets.”

he cocks his head to the side and again you find your mind drawing up another comparison to a puppy. you wonder if anyone’s ever told him that before.

“you’re taking out the cabinets?” he asks, almost seeming worried and you raise a brow.

“yeah,” you say, trying not to sound defensive and hoping he doesn’t have some sort of secret attachment to the fixtures. “they don’t fit the house and they barely functioned before.”

he shakes his head at your clarification and now it’s your own turn to tilt your head in confusion.

“you’re doing that by yourself? i thought i said you could ask for my help with heavy lifting,” he explains his worry and you don’t get a chance to respond before he’s starting to walk back to his house. “i’m gonna grab some gloves and another hammer,” he calls from your yard as you watch him go. “i’ll be right back.”

so you spent the afternoon destroying your kitchen with the neighbor you had vowed to stay away from only a few days before. to your credit, you did try to refuse his help, insisting that you could do it and telling him about the lack of a/c, but of course he stood firm, pointing out that he’d already made the effort to grab his own gloves and tools. maybe you’d met your match in terms of stubbornness.

“thank you,” you’d said with sincerity as you both sat on the floor of your now bare kitchen, open pizza box between you that you were regretting letting him pay for but, again, he had insisted. “there’s gotta be some way i can pay you back,” you said as you took another bite of your slice, eyes looking at the man across from you expectantly.

“well, i can think of one way,” he says, placing his half eaten slice on his plate and brushing off his hands.

you perk up at this, eager to know what you can do to make sure he knows how appreciative you are.

“let me take you out to dinner,” he suggests and you’re glad that you’re already sitting or your knees might have buckled and forced you to sit anyway.

opposites attract

⇀ paring hydrophobic!yeosang x lifeguard!reader

⇀ wc 2.2k

⇀ warnings slightly suggestive, he’s not literally hydrophobic he’s just a hater, mention of drowning, drinking alcohol (not you)

yeosang has spent every summer since he could remember avoiding the one place his friends had managed to finally persuade him into visiting, the local water park.

now it’s not that he was deathly afraid of being in the water, in fact his parents told him that he used to love swimming as a toddler, but he just didn’t see the appeal of anything that swimming and pools had to offer. the hot ass sun forcing you to reapply sunscreen every few hours, the screaming children that would make your head pound, the gross water that had surely seen every bodily fluid, and, worst of all, the annoying ass lifeguards that yeosang just knew were judging everyone with their hypercritical stares.

“you need some vitamin d,” wooyoung says, rubbing in the sunscreen he’d just put onto his arms until the cream had become sheer. “you can’t just sit in front of your computer every day.”

yeosang scowls as his best friend passes him the sunscreen, hesitantly squeezing some of it onto his legs.

“especially if you’re trying to get back into dating,” san adds as he removes his shirt, tossing it onto the picnic table the group had claimed.

“who’s dating?” yunho asked as he joined the group, setting his bag down and pushing his sunglasses up to sit on top of his head, ready to apply sunscreen onto his face when yeosang passed the bottle to him.

“yeosang,” wooyoung says as he shoves his flip flops off, leaving them where they lay and stretching his arms above his head.

“you’re dating someone?” yunho questions, eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“not yet,” san answers for him just as yeosang opens his mouth and he gives san an annoyed look.

“hey boys!”

suddenly, all three of yeosang’s friends are lighting up as they turn toward the source of the voice unfamiliar to him. each of them perks up as they return the greeting of the stranger, a lifeguard that was headed in the direction of yeosang and his friends.

“y/n!” san calls your name excitedly as you approach, stopping just outside of the shadow from the umbrella attached to the table.

“i didn’t know you were working today,” yunho says, finishing up his sunscreen application as he smiles brightly at you.

yeosang tries not to let his nerves show on his face as his eyes flick between you and his friends, always a little on edge when meeting new people but especially when that new person is particularly attractive. you’re wearing what he assumes is the typical uniform, a pair of short red swim trunks that show off your legs and a tight white tank top that leaves little to the imagination. he tries to resist the urge to let his eyes roam over the skin that’s exposed by your uniform, glowing from the summer sun, and instead he focuses on your face, shaded by the red visor you wear but expression as bright as though you’re channeling the beams from the sky above you. yeosang is tempted to bask in their warmth as your gaze flicks over to him but instead he looks away, trying to look busy as he rummages through his bag for nothing.

“sua called off today,” you explain, “so here i am.” you shrug as you gesture around yourself.

“oh, this is yeosang,” san speaks up with a harsh slap to his friends shoulder and yeosang flinches away from the touch before shoving san’s hand off.

“yeosang, this is y/n,” wooyoung provides, sliding toward you, “our favorite lifeguard.”

at his statement you reach up to pinch at wooyoung’s cheek, giving it a little shake as you let out a coo, “aw. i would say you’re my favorite patrons but i’m not in the habit of lying.” you chuckle lightly as wooyoung swats your hand away from his face with a pout.

“nice to meet you yeosang,” you greet him easily, nodding slightly and he’s thankful you didn’t reach out to shake his hand.

“you too,” he lies, not at all happy to meet someone who chooses to torture themselves out in the heat as a job.

“okay, well i’ve got to continue making my rounds, just wanted to say hi,” you explain as you back away from the group, headed back on the main path next to the pool you’re all closest to. “if you guys are staying for night swim i’m gonna be stationed at the wave pool so feel free to come chat.”

night swim, the only reason yeosang agreed to come. the local park had an adult only, alcohol provided, swim night that they hosted every other week. they would close down the more dangerous parts of the park, like the deep ends of the pools and the giant water slides, and just let people chill out in things like the wave pool and even go on the kiddie slides.

yeosang had agreed for the alcohol and the offer to be able to sit at the edge of the pool while his friends enjoyed trying not to drown as they wrested in the water. unfortunately he was not aware he would be dragged to the park while the sun was still out or when his friends were going to be chatting up the cute lifeguard the whole time, and he is an adult so he can admit you’re cute.

“you good?” yunho asks, noticing yeosang staring after you. the latter hadn’t even noticed he’d been looking straight at your butt as you retreated until his friend snapped him from his thoughts and he hoped he could blame the redness on his cheeks being the summer heat.

“yeah, yeah,” yeosang nodded finally pulling his arm out of his bag as he tried to anticipate what the group was about to pressure him to do.

he really did try to fight to just stay under the umbrella until the sun set but of course wooyoung needed him to go down the slides with him before they closed for the night and yunho had to show him the lazy river before it would be crowded with other drunk people and san demanded to go off the diving boards together before the deep end was off limits. so, because yeosang is a good friend, and his friends were extremely annoying when they whined, he did all of it. he honestly wasn’t as upset about the situation as he thought he might be, even finding himself sometimes enjoying the whole affair, but he would never admit that, he had a reputation to uphold.

lucky for yeosang and his reputation, the afternoon went by quickly and families with their sticky children trickled out as the sun set behind the horizon, initiating the start of night swim. of course as soon as he and his friends had finished their first drink and started sipping on their second yunho was quick to remind them about you over at the wave pool.

“i think i’m just gonna go back to the lazy river,” yeosang said with a jerk of his thumb toward the stack of intertubes behind himself.

“what why?” san asks, slipping his towel back off his shoulders.

“the lazy river is packed,” yunho adds, eyebrows scrunched as he looks over at it before turning to look at the wave pool that’s comparably more deserted.

wooyoung on the other hand has been paying a little too much attention to his best friend, noticing how yeosang’s eyes would flit over to you whenever you passed them during the day, and his lips curl up into the smile he always wears when he’s messing with someone. “i’m sure y/n would love to get to know you,” wooyoung grins, eyebrows wiggling before he sends yeosang a dramatic wink.

san’s mouth quickly forms an o as he realizes what wooyoung is implying and yunho just rolls his eyes at their antics, however neither are helping as wooyoung wraps his fingers around yeosang’s wrist and starts tugging him in the direction of the wave pool.

he can do nothing as he approaches the pool, not really in the mood to make a scene even if he could feel his heart climbing into his throat with every step that led them closer to you.

once the group is in sight you wave, sat on the edge of the pool with a float tube on your lap and feet dangling in the water. both of the lifeguard chairs are occupied and yeosang assumes that, because of the alcohol involved and the shutting down of half the park, lifeguards are double booked at the open areas, another lifeguard sat opposite you on the other side of the wave pool.

you smile brightly as wooyoung drags yeosang toward the edge of the pool, san and yunho shuffling behind. the latter two boys easily step into the water, not too interested in being involved in whatever scheme wooyoung has cooked up. wooyoung however ignores the pool in favor of sidling up right next to you.

you have to crane your neck to look up at the boys and yeosang moves his head to look at the water, feeling like a little kid as wooyoung still hasn’t let go of his wrist and does the talking for him.

“hey,” wooyoung greets you easily. “yeosang’s not a fan of the wave pool. do you mind if he sits with you while we swim?”

it’s not an entire lie, this spot being yeosang’s least favorite in the whole park, but he’s not too interested in sitting next to you in silence while his friends laugh at him. he knows it will be silent because he’s certainly not confident enough to start conversation, plus you have a whole job to do, and he’s certain his friends will be laughing at him because they’ve already noticed his attraction to you.

“sure,” you agree, to a bit of shock from yeosang, and pat the concrete next to you, shifting the tube on your lap so that it’s not in the way.

“great!” wooyoung declares but yeosang certainly doesn’t agree as he gets shoved to the spot you patted and a harsh push on his shoulder encourages him to take a seat. “have fun,” wooyoung adds before he’s scurrying off to join yunho and san.

there’s barely enough time to process that his best friend has abandoned him before you’re speaking up.

“so, not a fan of the wave pool,” you prompt and yeosang spares a glance at you.

you’re still looking over the pool, scanning for any danger or situations to whistle at people about.

“uh yeah,” he answers plainly, placing the cup he’s surprised didn’t spill during wooyoung’s tugging on the ground between you two. “i mean, don’t really like water parks in general so,” he explains with a shrug, venturing to put one of his legs into the edge of the pool, the other still tucked underneath him.

“really?” you ask like you’re actually surprised, like you’ve never actually met someone that didn’t like a water park, but based on your profession he’s sure you probably don’t often run into people who don’t frequent any pool.

he doesn’t answer, just shrugging once more as he watches the way the water ripples whenever he shifts his foot under the water.

“any particular reason?” you ask and yeosang ventures another glance at you, this time making eye contact with him as you’ve turned your head to face him. “i mean you don’t seem to be scared of water or anything,” you say as you gesture toward his leg that hangs off the ledge.

instead of returning to hold your float tube you place the hand you’d used on the concrete, leaning toward yeosang just slightly and he can smell a hint of the sunscreen you’d been reapplying through the day as well as something that he assumes is a cologne or perfume you must of sprayed on during your break. it makes his brain feel a bit fuzzy as you tilt your head at him, waiting for an answer.

“uh, i don’t know.” he can practically hear wooyoung judging his bland response and tries to rack his brain for anything else to say. “just don’t find it interesting i guess.”

you hum in acknowledgment, nodding slowly as you observe yeosang and even though the hot sun went down over an hour ago he feels like he might melt.

“so there’s nothing specific about it you hate?” you pry, taking another quick glance over the pool to make sure no one drowned when you weren’t looking before you return your gaze to the man beside you.

yeosang reaches out for his drink and realizes a moment too late how close your hand is to the cup, his fingers brushing against your warm skin and causing a tingle to shoot up his arm. you don’t mention the contact but yeosang swears he sees the corner of your mouth tick up as he takes a swig of his beverage, placing the cup on the other side of himself once he’s swallowed.

“no secret hate for lifeguards or anything right?” you continue to interrogate him, a teasing tone seeping into your words.

he could mention how he thinks you’re all overbearing and judgemental but he’s not sure that would work in his favor right now considering you don’t seem to actually be all that bad.

“no,” he says with a shake of his head, eyes not leaving your own.

at that your smile seems to grow, eyes holding a sparkle of something yeosang can’t quite read.

“good,” you respond, “because that would make asking you out a lot harder.”

marriage pact

⇀ paring ex best friend!san x heartbroken!reader

⇀ wc 1.1k

⇀ warnings therapy mentions/appointment, previous heartbreak, reader feels a lot of guilt, reader cries, cursing

you wish, with everything in your power, that you could reverse time, or maybe just knock some sense into your 14 year old self, and maybe you technically could, if you only shoved everything back in the shoebox and put it back on the shelf. then it would sit where it had for years before, except instead of dust, it would collect guilt, your guilt, every time you passed and remembered what was in it. your high school diary, a few birthday cards, notes with ink so faded the words were indecipherable, a paper clipped stack of photo booth strips, and one intact copy of the marriage pact you’d made with your best friend choi san, well, your high school best friend. why did you have to find it now, just as you’re reaching the age which you’d either need to be already married or fulfill your half of the contract by saying “i do”?

you think for a moment that you could simply throw out the entire box, but you’re too sentimental for that, it’s why the box had been with you so long in the first place, but now the memories, that should have been happily contained, have come to seep back into your life and the heartbreak taints every single one.

you could throw away just the pact, but your trash stinks enough already and you can practically hear the voice of your therapist telling you how it’s just an opportunity, an excuse, to reach out and maybe mend something that’s been broken for so long.

damn her for being right all the time.

and so you call, hoping his number is still the same or you’ll have wasted all your worrying for nothing. there’s nothing to indicate it’s his voicemail box, the generic computer voice reading out it’s typical prompt, but you might as well. if it’s a wrong number they’ll simply never call you back and you’ll go on with your life, as best you can.

“hey, i’m not sure if this is the right number. i’m trying to reach choi san. i’m-“ you pause for a moment, trying to figure out how to describe yourself. “i’m an old friend,” you settle on. “so, yeah. if you can give me a call back, i just needed,” you pause again. did you need to? maybe you should’ve written a script just in case. “wanted,” you amend, “to talk.” you pause again, wondering how you should end before the line beeps, signaling it’s been ended for you.

at your appointment the next day, your therapist seems proud, even as you try to change the subject, work around your feelings. she manages, as she always does, to steer you back on track, approach your emotions head on, and as she makes you recount the memories, and sensations, attached to the items in the shoebox, you feel your phone vibrate in your pocket. your first instinct is to silence it and so you do, barely registering the action before you’re sucked back into your session. only after you’ve penciled in your next meeting do you register that you’d sent a call to voicemail.

“hi y/n,” he starts easily and his voice has the hair on the back of your neck rising.

“i’m sorry i missed your call yesterday,” and he sounds genuinely apologetic. “i actually wanted to talk to you too i was just really busy until right now. i’m free for the rest of the day, so if you get a chance call me back. lo-“ your breath hitches at his mistake, forcing you to realize how shallowly you’d been inhaling the entirety of the message. “bye,” he concludes, an emptiness in his tone, before the message ends.

as you sit in your car, still in the parking lot of your therapist’s office, you remember that you had intentionally left out your name when leaving your message and that even after all these years, all this time apart, he can still recognize you by your voice alone, no matter how garbled by phone speaker quality.

you toss around the idea of waiting until you get back to your place to call but you can feel the nerves starting to tangle your stomach and are certain that you’ll have talked yourself out of it by the time you would get there. instead, you call back.

he picks up on the second ring.

“hi.”

he sounds like he’s smiling and you hope that’s a good sign, not an indication that he’s about to laugh at you and tell you to fuck off.

“hi,” you breath in response, probably a little pathetic.

“you wanted to talk?” he supplies and if you could get out of your own head you might pin the statement as sounding a bit teasing, maybe even a hint flirty, but you can barely register anything when everything you’ve wanted to say for the past few years is suddenly all mingling at the front of your consciousness.

“uh yeah,” you confirm plainly, trying to will your mouth to create any other sound.

as if he can sense your distress, just as he always had, san speaks up for you and says the words that had settled on the back of your tongue, “do you remember that pact we made when we were 14?”

in the moment you feel like it’s the right thing to say but as soon as the words are out of your mouth you anticipate the moments you’ll lie awake at night berating yourself for them.

“i love you and i’m sorry i made you hate me.”

you feel like you’re waiting for the storm to finally hit as your words are met with pregnant silence, san’s breath on the other end of the line as clear as if he were sat in your passenger seat, and for a moment you allow yourself to imagine just that.

“i never hated you,” he says with clear exasperation, seemingly surprised. “have you thought i’ve hated you this whole time?”

you nod shakily before remembering that he can’t see you and muttering a broken, “yes.”

“i’m so sorry,” he acknowledges before shushing you gently, and only at the sound of his comfort do you realize that you had started sobbing.

you try to calm yourself, your heavy breaths pacifying into watery hiccups as san eases you back from your sudden emotional release.

“can i tell you something?” san says after a moment and you nod once again before chuckling at yourself and verbally confirming he can.

“i love you too,” he says with an ease that almost makes you jealous. “so can we talk more about that pact?”

love at first sight

⇀ paring clumsy!mingi x er nurse!reader

⇀ wc 1.9k

⇀ warnings lots of eye talk, hospital setting

it was well known in the er that the full moon night shift was bound to be chaotic, something about the energy of the phase making people feel like they’re invincible and leading them to accidents that seemed next to impossible to occur. even if you weren’t superstitious about any of that astrological stuff, you couldn’t ignore the evidence as this night, like every full moon before it, brought you a plethora of patients that each had a problem more severe or strange than the last. you were quickly running out of beds and soon you’d run out of space in the waiting room as you noticed another person entering through the sliding glass doors.

“this is the busiest i’ve ever seen it,” chae, the triage nurse stationed at the front desk says as you move past her to the file folder, ready to grab the next patient to take back. she was new to the emergency department, a sweetheart who’d done all her clinicals in your pediatrics department and therefore had never seen the full moon effect.

“your first full moon,” you note, digging through the file folder to pull out the next one and look at the name. “you’re doing great,” you note with a gentle pat on her shoulder.

she smiles at you appreciatively before turning to address the patient quickly approaching the desk.

you take a glance into the file in your hands. “painful eyes, difficulty seeing. possible hazardous material in eyes,” the intake form reads and you sigh. what does “possible” mean in this situation?

“song mingi,” you call out into the waiting area and a rather tall man, eyes shut tightly, pops up from his seat immediately, another shorter man following suit and reaching out a hand to stabilize the taller as he stumbles. they both make their way to you, the shorter guiding the taller so he doesn’t bump into anyone or anything on his way.

“mingi?” you ask gesturing toward the one who clearly is having eye problems while looking at the other, seemingly fine, man and he only nods.

“i’m his brother, hongjoong,” the shorter one says and they don’t seem to resemble each other very much but you think nothing of it, more interested in treating your patient, who appears to be in quiet a bit of pain, then anything else.

“you can both follow me,” you say, scanning your badge to open the door and moving just slower than you might normally to allow hongjoong to lead mingi.

once you arrive to one of the empty rooms hongjoong guides mingi to sit on the bed, muttering about how stupid he is, before taking a seat himself on one of the plastic chairs off to the side.

you pay no mind to the muffled communication of the men as you place mingi’s folder onto the counter next to the sink and move to start taking his vitals. they both go silent as you wrap the blood pressure cuff around his arm, clipping the pulse oximeter onto his finger as well.

all of his vitals come back normal, only slightly elevated, as expected, because of the stress and pain, and you note them onto his chart.

“so what did you do to your eyes,” you ask as you go to remove the blood pressure cuff.

“uh well,” mingi starts his voice strained with a mix of pain and embarrassment, “i was trying to scare my friend and he was, uh, holding air freshener.”

you resist the urge to roll your eyes as you assume what happened next in his story.

“okay,” you say with a nod, putting the cuff you’d removed back in the basket and taking down notes on his chart. “did you try rinsing your eyes?”

he swallows thickly, his adams apple bobbing, and you let out a silent sigh as you prepare for whatever else must have went wrong.

“we tried,” he says a little shakily, “but the bottle must have had leftover cleaner or something in it.”

of course it did. you hold yourself back from asking how or why and glance at hongjoong who looks as exasperated as you feel, eyes closed and fingers massaging his temples.

“so you don’t know what the cleaner was?” you ask and mingi shakes his head, wincing as he squeezes his eyes tighter.

“can i take a look at your eyes?” you ask as you set down his chart, grabbing the pen light out of your scrub pocket.

“uh sure,” he says but you can hear the hesitation once again.

“okay, i’m going to hold your eye open for a second,” you explain, adjusting the bed so that his eyes are level with your own. “i’m going to shine a light into them just so i can make sure there’s no debris and they’re dilating properly.”

he gulps again and you know that he’s preparing for it to be painful.

“okay,” he says, a little more determined, and you place your fingers on his eyelid, starting with his left eye.

you try to move as quickly as you can, not wanting it to be too painful, but his hurt grunts are still audible as you check both eyes. fortunately, they’re dilating fine and you can’t see any damage or debris.

“they look alright,” you note aloud, slipping the light back in your pocket and writing more on his chart. “let’s just get your eyes properly flushed and some antibiotic drops in there, then we can see how they’re doing.”

mingi’s shoulders relax a little at this and you start to make your way toward the door, heading out to grab the irrigation tubing and kidney dish as well as ask another nurse to prepare the drops you’ll need.

“will he need to stay overnight?” hongjoong asks as you open the door and you turn back to him.

“we’ll want to keep him for at least an hour after we administer the drops to make sure that nothing gets worse but if he’s cleared up by then you’ll be able to go,” you explain and hongjoong nods as you leave.

flushing his eyes takes a moment as he fights to close his eyes a lot during the process, which is understandable, but the eye drops are worse, managing to get his eyes closed right before the solution hits his eyeball no matter how well you manage to hold his eye lids. eventually, with the help of another nurse holding his lids while you administer the drops, you manage to give him the proper dosage and leave him to check on another patient. you promise to return in an hour and instruct both men on how to use the nurse call button in case anything happens before then.

“he’s kind of cute,” chae, now munching on a granola bar as she takes her break behind the nurse’s station, says as you approach. “in like a himbo way,” she elaborates when you raise a brow at her, only shrugging as she take another bite.

you shake your head in slight disappointment. “he’s my patient,” you say. “i’m not really focused on how attractive he is.”

“so you agree he’s attractive,” chae chimes, peeking up for a moment before you roll your eyes.

“i’m not doing this with you again,” is your only response, moving past her to continue with your work.

an hour later you knock gently on the door of mingi’s room before entering to find hongjoong still in the plastic chair, phone in hand as he scrolls, and mingi asleep on the bed, the heartbeat monitor beeping quietly. you take that as a good sign.

“hello,” you greet hongjoong before you move toward the bed, preparing to wake your patient.

hongjoong greets you in return, tucking his phone away so he can pay attention to what you’re doing.

you take a brief glance at the heartbeat and oxygen monitor, noticing that his vitals are normal before taping mingi on the shoulder with enough force to jostle him awake. he grunts slightly before stretching, eyes scrunching up for a moment before they blink open.

“good morning,” you say with a teasing grin and mingi turns to face you.

suddenly the beeping of the monitor that had been steady and slow before is increasing rapidly and your head whips to look at it with surprise.

“you don’t have a heart condition do you?” you ask with concern, brows furrowing as you turn back to look at mingi once again.

his face and ears are bright red and his eyes go wide before he sits up with a start. “uh no, i don’t,” he rushes out, his words shaky as he lowers his gaze to his hands that now sit in his lap, messing with the clip on his pointer finger as though he wants to remove it.

“is everything okay?” you ask with genuine concern. “what’s wrong?”

mingi clears his throat and keeps his gaze firmly focused on his hands as he answers, “nothing. i just- you’re really cute.”

“oh my god,” you hear hongjoong huff in disbelief before his face drops into his hand, eyes covered in what you can only assume is embarrassment.

now it’s your turn to blush, a heat creeping onto your cheeks as you try to calm your own heart.

“oh,” you breathe, trying to collect your thoughts and remain professional. “thank you,” you say quickly before you hurry to take the clip off his finger, ignoring the heat of his skin against your own as your hand brushes his own.

“how are your eyes?” you ask, your own gaze moving about the room sheepishly.

“good,” he chirps, voice cracking slightly.

“good,” you mirror with a sharp nod. “i’m, uh, going to write you a prescription for antibiotic drops and just use those twice a day for the next two weeks,” you say, returning to business. “just come back if they get worse.”

mingi nods, still not looking at you and you clear your throat.

“thank you,” hongjoong says for mingi, and you nod in response.

you leave as quickly as you can, eager to be rid of the weird energy that had been created in the room. luckily your shift is close to over and one of the other nurse practitioners catches the way you’re acting a bit weird as you file the prescription, telling you to go home early and she’ll cover for you. you fight for a moment before finally giving in and deciding to make a quick stop at the 24-hour convenience store on the way home.

“oh!” a familiar voice snaps you out of your thoughts about which late night snack to pick and you turn quickly to see none other than song mingi standing before you, a look of surprise on his face as he looks at you.

“hi,” you squeak, just as surprised.

you feel your blush from earlier returning and turn back to face the shelf you’d been browsing.

“i’m sorry if i made you uncomfortable before,” mingi says, keeping his distance but not looking away from you.

you shake your head and glance at him for a moment. “oh no,” you reassure, “i just wasn’t prepared.” you let out a slightly nervous laugh.

mingi hums thoughtfully and nods slowly, taking an experimental step toward you.

“could i ask you something?” he requests and you turn to face him fully.

“sure,” you reply with a gentle shrug.

“let me know if i’m overstepping,” he begins, eyes flicking from yours to the shelf of snacks and back, “but could i get your number?”

enemies to lovers

⇀ paring chef!wooyoung x host!reader

⇀ wc 2.1k

⇀ warnings wooyoung is mean, discussion of food and eating, mentions of bullying in high school

so maybe your job wasn’t the worst, and most of your coworkers were pretty manageable, but wooyoung, he’s what made it unbearable at times. you’d already asked your manager to be scheduled for when he wasn’t, but he’d explained that you were the best one up front and he was the best in the kitchen, so of course you’re both going to be scheduled during the restaurant’s busiest times. “plus maybe it will force you two to work out whatever’s wrong.”

what your manager didn’t account for was that there was no working out what was wrong, considering it had been nothing that you were aware of. wooyoung had simply looked at you on your first day and decided he hated you. could you have asked why? of course, but you’re not sure he would have told you because to every question you asked him he would simply huff and roll his eyes, telling you to ask someone else.

his little act had quickly gotten on your nerves and so you were fast to return his disdain, deciding that his uncalled for behavior was enough of a reason to hate him.

“you know, if you just talked to him you could make everyone’s lives just a little bit easier,” soonha, you’re favorite waitress, says as she unties her apron and makes sure all her pens are organized in the pockets before placing it in her locker.

she’d been listening to you complain about everything wooyoung had done during your shift that had pissed you off, from as small as walking in a minute late to the way he’d complained about you blocking his path when you were eating a snack in an empty corner of the kitchen, a spot you’d chosen because it was specifically out of the way. of course the worst had been when he’d sided with a patron that was lying about their wait time, almost getting you in trouble with the manager on duty before you actually showed her the patron’s check-in timer.

“he’s the one with the problem,” you scoff, pushing your arms through the sleeves of your jacket. “he should be the one talking to me. you know he didn’t even apologize today.”

soonha only rolls her eyes, shutting her locker before a look of surprise takes over her features and she’s whipping around to you.

“oh my gosh, i totally forgot i told kay that i would restock her citruses,” the waitress says, pulling out what you can assume is a list from the bartender, kay, of the number of lemons, limes, and oranges that needed to be brought up to the bar.

“hey let me do that,” you say, grabbing the slip of paper from her hand.

“are you sure?” she says, although the way she glances at the back door tells you that she’s not too attached to the task.

“of course,” you reassure. “you’ve got the baby at home, go,” you encourage her and she’s basically running out the back door.

“they’re just in cold storage,” she reminds you quickly as the door shuts behind her and you chuckle with a gentle shake of your head in amusement.

the task is easy enough, grabbing a small empty cardboard box from the deserted kitchen as you make your way to the walk-in refrigerator, noticing that the kitchen staff all appear to have left for the night and thanking whatever higher power was watching over you for not making you the last person in the restaurant with wooyoung.

it’s been a while since you’d actually been inside cold storage, your job description not calling for it unless you were being an extra hand for bartending, although that was something that most of your staff asked the waiters for. this mostly meant that you couldn’t remember if it was normal for the door to click like that when it closed behind you. obviously that didn’t matter much anyway and so you just continue with the task at hand, searching for wherever kitchen staff had put citruses when they were rearranging.

as you’re reaching above your head to grab a handful of lemons to place in your trusty cardboard box the door to cold storage is suddenly cracking open, nearly causing you to have a heart attack as you’d believed you were the last person in the building. to your dismay, in walks the last person you’d probably ever want to see, possibly even over some robber interested in making off with your cold stock, wooyoung. he takes a moment before he registers that it’s you and the familiar scowl takes over his features, adjusting the large box in his arms.

you try to appear unaffected by his presence, taking a breath to calm your racing heart at the shock from a moment ago and turning back to counting your lemons. you sigh as you realize he must have been in dry storage when you passed through the kitchen and curse yourself for getting your hopes up about this task being easy.

the door makes that same click as it closes behind him but you don’t hear wooyoung react, moving to the shelf right behind you and standing with his back only inches from your own. the box he’s holding makes a soft thump as it hits the ground and you clearly hear the tape ripping off the top. from what you can tell he seems to be placing whatever was in the box into the crate on the shelf behind you and you’re trying so hard not to pay attention to him as you continue your own job.

soon enough your little box is filled with the correct number of fruits, you even double checked your counting, and you turn to leave the fridge as wooyoung starts to breakdown his now empty box. however, you don’t get very far, the door not budging when you place pressure against the handle.

you let out a huff as you place your box down and grab the handle with both hands. when the door still doesn’t move you lean your shoulder against it, trying to use your body weight to leverage the thing open.

“what are you doing?”

you feel your skin prickle at his voice, obviously annoyed with whatever antics he thinks you’re up to now, and you turn around as slowly as you can manage, face blank.

“the door is stuck,” you explain and wooyoung’s face scrunches up in response before he’s moving toward you.

“move,” he demands and you slide off to the side before he can place his hand on your shoulder to move you himself.

of course he’d taken off his chef coat, leaving him in just his white undershirt and black slacks, and you resist the urge to watch his arms as he gives a harsh push to the door. unfortunately for the both of you, his shoving is just as successful as yours was and you roll your eyes at him.

“what the fuck did you do?” he says, turning to you with anger painting his features.

if you didn’t hate him you might have found him slightly attractive now, gaze dark and sharp as he looked right through you, but he had some vendetta against you and therefore you had one against him.

“me?” you say in disbelief. “why do you think i had something to do with this?”

he scoffs and it’s probably a sound you would be able to identify in your sleep at this point, having heard it so often.

“you always do,” he mutters and you don’t know what to say in response, opting instead to just roll your eyes once more and chalking it up to whatever mystery grudge he’s holding against you.

“whatever, i’ll just call-“ you cut yourself off as you dig your hands into your jacket pockets and realize that your phone is still sat inside of your open locker in the break room. “never mind,” you mumble as you pull your hands from your pockets and decide to just take a seat on the chilly floor.

“right,” wooyoung says looking down at you with one eyebrow raised before he’s pulling his own phone from his pocket.

you’re barely listening as he speaks with whoever he calls, only picking out a few words here and there as you start to realize the predicament you’re in. of all the people to be trapped with.

“mingyu should be here in half an hour or so,” wooyoung tells you before he joins you on the floor, sitting across from you. “he told us not to kill each other in the meantime.”

you just flick your eyes up to him, your expression passive, before you go back to counting the floor tiles.

you’re not sure you’ll survive until help arrives, the first minute going by in a silence that feels like it’s crawling along your skin, threatening to eat you whole. by the second minute you’ve counted all the tiles on the floor that you can see five times and have moved onto counting the crates behind wooyoung. maybe you can go through and count the things in the crates next.

“what are you doing?”

you’re tempted not to answer him but you have a feeling he’ll ask again and the only thing worse than loosing count once is loosing count twice.

“counting,” you say plainly, starting with the crates again, however, you don’t even get close to where you’d left off last time when he speaks again.

“well, stop,” he says and you make sure he sees your look of confusion and annoyance. “you’re making me paranoid,” he elaborates and you just huff, turning you head so that he’s no longer in your line of sight.

“why do you hate me?”

you immediately don’t want to hear the answer and you whip your head back to him, worry on your features as you prepare to take it back.

except you don’t take it back, his face painted with bewilderment causing you to pause. he looks as though he can’t understand why you would ask, as though the answer was written on his forehead and you should simply be able to read it.

“are you trying to tell me you don’t remember?” he asks, and it’s the first time you can recall him being genuine with you.

you shake your head with a similar look of confusion.

“high school,” he supplies as though it will jog your memory.

the only problem is that it doesn’t, you didn’t go to high school with wooyoung, in fact you didn’t go to high school with anyone you work with, because you only moved to the area after graduating.

“wooyoung,” you start as you watch his features begin to soften, “the first time i met you was here, on my first day.”

he shakes his head with force, like he’s trying to convince himself.

“you were in that group, with miri, that always laughed at me,” he continues in disbelief, continuing to ramble about this group of bullies, and you feel your heart sink.

“wooyoung,” you repeat to catch his attention and he silenced himself. “i didn’t go to high school with you.”

you watch as his shoulders, which had lifted with every word that had come out of his mouth only moments ago, drop back down and he pales, eyes wide as he really sees you for the first time.

“i’m sorry,” he says, his eyes filled with regret as he remembers every little thing he’s done to make your life at work a living hell for as long as you’ve worked here. “i’m so, so sorry.”

“honestly,” you begin, processing everything that’s happened within the last few minutes, “if i thought someone i worked with was my high school bully, i would probably do the same things you did,” you say with a chuckle and you can see a blush start to tint wooyoung’s cheeks.

there’s a moment of quiet, one that feels like the polar opposite of the silence you sat in before, and you feel like you can clearly see the gears turning inside of wooyoung’s mind.

“did you eat dinner?” he asks finally, looking at you expectantly.

you just shake your head and watch as a bashful grin makes its way onto his face.

“can we start over?” he suggests. “i can make us something,” he adds, not oblivious to the way the other chefs had bribed you with food in the past. “after mingyu saves us, of course.”

right on cue you can hear someone puttering around in the kitchen, heading your way.

“sure,” you nod gently, a soft grin on your face, as wooyoung stands, offering his hand to you.

brother’s best friend

⇀ paring soccer player!jongho x sports photographer!reader

⇀ wc 1.8k

⇀ warnings cat-calling, jongho punches somebody, cursing, implications of harassment

you’d had a crush on your older brother’s best friend, jongho, for as long as you could remember, a secret that you’d kept to yourself just as long. unfortunately, within the last few years it had gotten much more difficult to hide this little fact, partly due to the fact that you’d managed to become best friends with probably the worst secret keeper on your college campus but, mostly because you were forced by your job to interact with him more than ever.

you were one of the student sports photographers on campus, assigned to photograph the men’s soccer team in the fall, a team which jongho and your brother were apart of. that was how they met in middle school, your brother the school’s goalie while jongho played midfield, and you hadn’t known peace since. of course you loved being able to pursue your passion and get paid for it, but with each game that you had to attend it was becoming more and more difficult to focus on your job.

jongho had grown a lot during the summer before his freshman year, the training for the team intense but rewarding, and suddenly you weren’t the only one with a more than platonic interest in the boy. by sophomore year, he was a star player, attracting the attention of those who weren’t even interested in soccer, or any sport for that matter. people would start to come to games just to see jongho sweaty and focused. now, as you and jongho began your junior years, your brother a senior, your jealousy was starting to peak.

“don’t act like you wouldn’t do the same if it wasn’t your job,” billie, your best friend and roommate, said as you threw another dirty look to the group of girls that had been shouting jongho’s name every five seconds.

you’d been complaining to her about all the attention on jongho, openly admitting your jealousy as she’d managed to pry the information of your crush out of you last year.

“i wouldn’t scream his name and distract him from his game,” you bite, bringing the viewfinder back up to your eye and following the ball as someone on the opposing team threw it back into play.

your job required you to attend every soccer game, and the occasional practice, to get shots for the campus newspaper and website. billie had started to tag along as your assistant at the beginning of this semester, claiming to just be happy to hang out with you even if she wasn’t getting paid, totally not because she had a crush on your brother or anything.

“right,” billie says with a nod, adjusting the strap of your camera bag on her shoulder, “because you can get his attention without all the drama.”

your best friend had gotten some weird idea in her head that jongho was secretly in love with you, an idea that had prompted her to dig into your feelings for jongho in the first place. you tried not to listen, not wanting to let her feed any sort of delusion that you and jongho were somehow possible.

“you know, when you said you would be my assistant, i thought you meant like helping me, not being annoying,” you say sarcastically, snapping a few pictures as your attacking midfielder managed to get control of the ball.

“maybe you’re being annoying,” billie pouts in response. “i’m just saying what i see.”

you resist the urge to roll your eyes, trying to focus on who has the ball and what moments to capture.

“am i not an objective party?” she asks and you have no idea where she’s heading with this argument. “you’ve known him for years and so you’re set that he doesn’t see you that way. i’m a fresh set of eyes to tell you the truth!”

you scoff at her. “you said yourself i’ve known him for years, wouldn’t that mean i know him better? so i know that he’s not interested?” you argue, players surrounding the ball and crowding your lens.

“you’re biased,” she says with a sense of finality and you pull your camera away from your face, deciding to glance through some of the pictures you’d just taken to see if you needed to adjust any of your settings. the lighting had changed a bit since the beginning of the game.

“yeah,” you agree after a moment, “and you’re a hopeless romantic.”

you turn and trek around down the field, looking for a new angle. you hear billie running after you, your camera bag bouncing against her hip gently and you remind yourself to at least buy her dinner after this as thanks for following you around for 90 minutes.

just as you both reach the other side of the field, the referee is blowing a whistle to signal the start of halftime and you sigh, glad to already be on the side of the field where the players benches are. you weren’t required to get pictures of players on the bench or any of the team huddled, but you liked to. they made good shots to advertise the team pride and allowed everyone to have professional pictures, even if they didn’t play in that game.

“hey y/n, hey billie,” you brother says as he passes you both, jogging toward the bench to grab his water and take a rest.

billie lights up and waves as he passes, you only roll your eyes, following after your brother to get closer to the bench.

“make sure you get my left, it’s my best side,” one of the players, hojin, says jokingly as you snap a wide shot of all the players sat on the bench.

you chuckle lightly, enjoying your banter with the players, as you continue to get a few more wide angles.

“what’s your name sexy?” you hear someone call behind you and turn to see one of the players of the opposing team looking right at you.

you don’t say anything for a moment, kind of shocked that anyone on the opposing team was talking to you as that had never happened before. you recognized him as their center midfielder, opposite jongho for a majority of the game.

“none of you business!” billie calls back for you, linking her arm with your own and pulling you closer to your team.

the guy doesn’t seem all that discouraged at first, sending you a wink before his eyes flick to something, or someone, behind you and his face drops.

you turn around just in time to see your brother sitting back on the bench, features sharp, and jongho turning to look at their coach, anger clear on his face.

you try not to think anything of it, knowing that your brother and jongho were naturally very protective, as billie tugs on your arm that’s still linked with hers.

“c’mon,” she says, “don’t forget to get your huddle shot.”

you try to return to business as normal once the game resumes, making sure to get a few key pictures that are always a hit for article features, but you’ve started to let your camera drift centerfield, toward jongho. except unlike other times this has happened it’s not simply because you’re being distracted by how handsome he looks. he’s started getting a bit aggressive with the player opposite him, the one that had called to you during halftime, and you watch through your lens as the player says something to jongho. whatever he said must have really upset jongho because just as you’re pulling away from the viewfinder he reels back and sends his fist right into the other guy’s face.

you feel your blood run cold as you watch the whole interaction unfold, a ref blowing the whistle sharply as he runs to centerfield. your brother, who had been on the bench, bolts for jongho, other players from both teams moving in to break up whatever is happening. somehow the other player manages to remain standing after the hit, stumbling back a bit, and jongho takes a few steps forward with a raised fist before your brother gets to him and pulls him back.

“what the actual fuck is wrong with you?” you hear your brother saying as he drags jongho toward the bench.

you hand billie your camera, telling her you’ve got enough for today and that she can just mess around with it before you stomp toward the bench yourself. your best friend sends you a slightly concerned, if not sympathetic, look as you leave but does as you say.

“are you crazy?” you say once you get to where jongho is sat, your brother popping a disposable ice pack and placing it onto his hand.

“if you’re here to lecture me i don’t need it,” jongho grunts. “i already know it was a bad idea.”

you scoff in disbelief as your eyebrows shoot up. “a bad idea? it was unbelievably stupid! what in the world would posses you to do something like that?”

jongho looks up at you for a moment, eyes blank, before looking at your brother who’s stood next to you, looking at his best friend expectantly.

“well?” you brother says, crossing his arms.

“some people should just keep their mouth shut,” jongho says looking down at his hand that’s covered by the ice pack and you scoff again, crossing your own arms.

“jongho,” you say sternly and he looks up at you again, eyes almost pleading for you not to press further. “i know you. this is not you.”

he shrugs, trying to seem nonchalant, before saying, “maybe it is.”

you sigh, sitting down next to jongho and placing a hand gently on top of his forearm.

“no it’s not,” you insist, much softer as you rub your thumb along his arm soothingly.

your own palm tingles at the sensation of his skin against yours but you can’t bring yourself to pull away.

jongho looks at your hand on him for a moment before glancing up at your face. after a moment he turns to where your brother is still standing and ticks his head in some sort of signal that has your brother patting jongho’s shoulder once before leaving you both.

“you asked if i was crazy,” jongho starts, turning to meet your slightly confused gaze. “i am crazy,” he says with a humorless laugh, “crazy for you.”

your thumb stops it’s movements as you freeze, wondering if you’re hearing him right.

“i couldn’t let him get away with what he was saying about you,” jongho explains. “i just snapped.”

you close your eyes, shaking your head like you’re trying to get rid of the thoughts clouding your judgement, before you ask, “can we go back to the part where you’re crazy?”

he chuckles again and you open your eyes to see a soft smile on his face.

“i’ve had the biggest, most embarrassing crush on you for years y/n,” he says, a blush dusting his cheeks.

your own lips curl into a smile as you reply, “that’s impossible because i’ve had the biggest, most embarrassing crush on you for years jongho.”

↼ ateez masterlist

note hope you enjoyed and these couples may be making a reappearance at some point in the future (also if you genuinely want to know the hangul just translates to “hey, where are you from”)

feedback always appreciated

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glazelilyy · 2 years

Text

i "like like" you

request from anon - "Single dad headcannons for Zhongli. Reader could be his kids teacher maybe"

a/n - *dies from how cute this is* AAAAAAAAAA YES YES AND YES single dad!zhongli is everything <3 (also i'm not sure if everyone heard of the childhood phrase "like like" but it's a way that we'd say we had a romantic interest in someone as children. i'm not sure if this is exclusive to NA which is why i'm explaining it, but i thought it was a cute title hehe)

pairing - zhongli x gender neutral reader (modern au!)

word count - 8246

genre - fluff

format - headcanons + blurbs

warnings - alcohol consumption

summary - between raising his two beloved children on his own and running his own business, zhongli can't quite find the time for romance—that is until he meets you

to most, zhongli is a professional businessman and ceo of his own company

though polite and mild-mannered, he's known for his sharp intellect and quick thinking

through his hard work and dedication, his tea company which manages several popular teashops in the city, has seen immense growth and success

though he dons the face of a hardened ceo while walking through the halls of his workplace, behind closed doors zhongli is known as "papa" to his two beloved children: ganyu (5) and xiao (2)

there's absolutely nothing zhongli loves more in this world than his children

he's quite the doting father: the wealth he amasses from his successful company is poured into ravishing his children with the comfiest beds, finest toys, the best education, and college funds to last them years to let them pursue whatever they want

ganyu is more of the quiet book worm of the two: she spends time with her papa snuggled in his lap with a picture book or two eager for him to read to her

though zhongli isn't a goofy character, he'll oblige his little girl's request to "do the voices" of the various characters in the story book and relish in her giggles

she loves to draw and write stories that she often gives to zhongli; his office at work and at home are both littered with framed pictures of ganyu's best handiwork and he's proud to show them off if anyone asks

much to his surprise, ganyu is quite adept at higher level thinking and as such, he's begun to teach her how to play chess and checkers

he's let her win far too many times though, but it's the thought that counts!

xiao, on the other hand, is always on the move: crawling and stumbling on stubby hands and feet from one room of their penthouse to the next, it's hard to get him to settle down unless his papa is there to lull him to sleep

he's not one to throw tantrums, but he is known to crawl into a corner and sulk until his papa comes to get him

though zhongli wouldn't exactly describe xiao as a terrible two year old, xiao certainly was quite fussy and picky with just about everything

from xiao's toys to his food to who held him, all three categories had to be managed either by zhongli himself or his personal assistant, childe, who often babysat for him while he worked overtime or had business meetings overseas

xiao has a preference for sweet things: specifically very soft almond tofu, and though zhongli does his best to manage the diet of each of his children to be healthy and nutritious, he can't help but indulge xiao when he tugs on the fabric of his dress pants and asks for "ah-mond to-hu"

zhongli has had difficulty in getting him to start talking, but he does have a few common phrases: "papa", "ah-mond to-hu", and "go" are the ones he uses most commonly

he often attempts to pronounce ganyu's name but has difficulty and just ends up calling her "yuyu"

xiao does love when his papa manages to sit down with him and play dolls or roll cars

zhongli finds that xiao is most at peace late at night when he's rocking him to sleep in front of the large, glass window pane under a blanket of stars

both of his children are his entire world, but some days he can't help but feel a pulsing emptiness

he's had lovers in the past, but they've never worked out either because some weren't interested in becoming a parent, and some couldn't deal with his hectic and evasive schedule

apart from external reasons, zhongli himself felt like there was simply no time for romance

but that all seemed to change the day he met you

you are ganyu's first grade teacher and a very patient one at that

the first time he lays eyes upon you is on ganyu's very first day of grade school

more content utc!

zhongli wasn't an emotional man, but the manner in which ganyu clung to the leg of his charcoal dress pants, gripped his hand with all her little might, and tried to hide her sniffles in his waist had his heart crumbling in his chest. up until now, ganyu had been home schooled by private tutors and wasn't used to being in such an unfamiliar environment.

"come now, little one, no need to cry." he cooed, stooping down to cup her ruddy face within his large hands and dry her tears with his thumbs.

"papa or mister childe will be back to pick you up as soon as you're done, okay?"

to no avail, ganyu's muffled wails would refuse to cease and drew looks from other kids and parents in the schoolyard that zhongli did his best to shield her from by pulling her close and rubbing his hand soothingly up and down her back. though xiao had been left in childe's capable hands with only the slightest bit of fuss, ganyu was quite attached to zhongli and it broke his heart to see her so sad. his gentle shushing and loving kisses to her head did little to calm her down.

he'd always been quite helpless in situations were his children required some sort of softness for them to absorb their tears into. no matter how hard zhongli tried, he never quite felt like he fit into that role and the way ganyu wailed ceaselessly into his shoulder solidified that great worry in his mind.

a gentle tap twice on his shoulder brought him out of his own head and had him looking upwards.

if you had told him you were an angel, he would've believed it. calm, gentle (e/c) eyes peered back at him, matched with a reassuring smile. to top it off, a pale yellow apron hugged your body and laid overtop of your regular clothes. pinned near your breastpocket was a little name tag that read "teacher (y/n)" with stickers of flowers and hearts decorated around the border.

"if i may, sir?" you asked, whispering only to him.

zhongli struggled to maintain his composure and merely swallowed down his own awe in one gulp, before gently prying ganyu's face away from his shoulder.

"hi there!" you cooed quietly, crouching down so your palms rested on your knees and you balanced on the balls of your heels, "i'm teacher (y/n)! may i know your name?"

ganyu sniffled once, wide eyes wandering to the name tag on your apron, then to your kind smile. she looked up once to zhongli, who gave a reassuring smile and nod before replying, "ganyu," in a quiet voice, still half muffled into her papa's shirt.

"hi ganyu! that's a very pretty name for a very pretty girl," ganyu whines embarrassingly and burrows further into her papa's arms.

zhongli shot you an apologetic smile while running a soothing hand up and down ganyu's back, to which you meet him in the middle with your own equally radiant grin that needed no words to dismiss his apologies.

"do you like to play any games, ganyu? i have lots of toys in my class that you'd like: dolls, cars, robots, and there's lots of picture books too!"

at the mention of picture books, ganyu's head shot up and her glimmering eyes met yours with piqued interest. "books?" she asked, voice hoarse from wailing.

"yep! lots and lots of picture books. we can read them together until your dad comes to pick you back up, is that okay?"

gingerly, you stretch your hand outwards, palm up, in an invitation to the little girl. ganyu hesitantly looked back at zhongli as if awaiting his approval.

"go on, little deer." he gently ushered with the flat of his palm pressed against the back of her periwinkle dress.

ganyu timidly placed her tiny hand in yours and nodded once to accept your offer. you beamed brighter than the sun itself and quickly produced a napkin from a small pocket in your apron.

"come here, sunshine," you coo, bringing the soft fabric to dab at her eyes and wipe away the tracks of tears from her face with gentle motions.

ganyu was always his easier child, but she never took so kindly to strangers so quickly. zhongli watched in awe as her cries ceased and she so pliantly gripped your hand. he beamed with pride at the courage of his daughter, but also felt a part of him deflate knowing he'd have to leave her here all day.

"don't tell me i need to get a tissue for you as well, sir."

hand on your hip, there was no denying the teasing lilt to your voice as you met his eyes. upon his silence you fear that you may have overstepped your boundaries.

"a-ah forgive me it's just, you looked so sad." you hesitantly chuckled and rubbed the back of your neck.

"no, no, do not apologize. it was a humorous joke, i'll admit." he tailed off with a breathy laugh, still fixated on the way your eyes glimmered under the shimmering rays of golden, morning light.

"i must thank you, for being so kind to her. i'm grateful for that."

his heart trembled in his chest when you simply stood up with a small giggle and waved your hand dismissively.

"nonsense! it's my job to look after the little ones, besides," you paused to look down at ganyu, who still held onto your hand yet had her eyes trained diligently on her papa, "something tells me this is her first time being away from you for long."

your perceptiveness was a warm welcome to him, and he began to feel less hesitant about leaving ganyu in your care. with a pleased hum and rosy cheeks, he tried to dismiss the trembling of his fingers as the result of the beginnings of the bitter, nipping frost of autumn.

"i am zhongli."

and when you shook his hand and spoke your name, he felt the cobwebs around the rusted gears of his heart begin to rip and disintegrate. for the first time in a while, zhongli felt the faint beat of amour underneath his dress shirt.

he heads to work that day, a bit frazzled by this morning's encounter

there's no denying that he hasn't felt such a warmth in a long, long time

and he can't seen to get his mind off of how sweet you were with ganyu

childe was still preoccupied with xiao and other paperwork for the company, so zhongli is the one that picks ganyu up from school that day

he's a bit late and arrives when all the other students had already gone home

upon entering the vicinity of your classroom, he finds you sitting on a colorful beanbag chair with ganyu in your lap and a picture book in front of both of you

you read with such a soothing voice; not only that, but you did "the voices" of each character just as he does when he reads to ganyu

speaking of his daughter, her eyes are trained solely on where your pointer finger scans through the lines, and he can't help but be enamored at how easily you gained her trust

reluctantly though, he has things to do and takes her from your arms

you place your palm on his forearm—a friendly gesture—while you bid him goodbye and it's hard for him to deny how electric the area you touched made him feel

on the ride home, ganyu is more talkative than usual and the topic of her chattiness is all about you

apparently: you're the "bestest" teacher in the whole world (though zhongli has to remind her that "bestest" isn't a word) who loves to read and sing

the singing part intrigued him; with how lovely your voice had been just speaking to him, he couldn't imagine just how lovely the saccharine cadence of your singing voice must be

and so he begins to fall into a steady routine: drops ganyu off early in the morning at school in your care, then returns sheepishly around an hour late after school ends to collect her from your arms

it isn't until one day, when childe had important company matters to attend to and all his trusted babysitters were busy, that zhongli runs to pick ganyu up from school with xiao in his arms

and he discovers that you're most taken with his son

"mister zhongli, you never told me you had a son!"

intrigue lit your eyes up like a glowing lantern as you cautious peeked past the soft folds of the blue puffer jacket zhongli had carefully dressed xiao in to shield him from the bitter autumn air. his glimmering amber eyes peered up at you with bated curiosity just as your finger gently connected with his little fist.

"ah yes, apologies, teacher (y/n), it appears to have slipped my mind." he bashfully coughed into his fist and shifted xiao in his arms.

he couldn't help but let a rare smile creep onto his face as he watched you interact with xiao: the excitement laced on your face as xiao's little hand clasped around your finger, the sheer awe that had practically branded itself into your eyes as you locked gazes with xiao, it was all quite amusing to him.

"would you care to hold him?" he offered, shifting xiao's weight in his arms to extend him forward.

wordlessly, you took the toddler into your arms and giggled in tandem to the few words that did manage to slip from xiao's mouth.

"well hello to you too, little mister." your finger waggled over xiao's face as his little hands stretched up to reach it.

ganyu had been awfully quiet, watching from your side as you held her brother so fondly. zhongli had never seen her make such a face before: little lips turned downwards and brows furrowed to crease in the middle of her forehead. her fist clutched the soft fabric of your apron and it seemed that she'd tug every now and then. a particularly harsh tug got your attention...and zhongli's as well as you jolted with xiao in your arms.

"little deer!" he hissed, swooping in to scoop her up into his arms. "i apologize dearly, ganyu doesn't usually act like this." the last part seemed directed moreso towards the little girl in his arms, who shamefully buried her face into the crook of her father's neck.

you, however, seemed to realize exactly the intentions behind her actions immediately. "care to switch, mister zhongli?" you asked, extending out his son to him.

"please you need not address me so formally, just zhongli is fine." he countered, wordlessly shifting ganyu so her little hands stretched out towards your body.

"you as well, (y/n) is just fine." you smiled at him after exchanging the two children in your arms.

ganyu immediately melted in your embrace and slung her around around your neck, whereas xiao began to wriggle in zhongli's broad arms and babbled nonsense.

"i think she was just a little jealous." you giggled and whispered discreetly for only zhongli's ears.

"my, that's quite unlike her. i do apologize for her behavior though."

zhongli was quite sure he would've said more if not for how tender you looked with ganyu in your arms. your deft fingers gently tucked a stray lock of her hair from her head behind her ear and a pleasant smile had painted itself upon your lips. your very, very, soft looking lips.

but he was getting sidetracked, far too sidetracked.

"i-i do believe we must be going now." he cursed himself for his unusually unkept manner and hoisted xiao once more in his arms.

"oh yes! ahaha sorry about that. come on, ganyu, your papa's waiting." you stooped down and usher the girl away from your arms into her papa's hands.

ganyu reluctantly let go of your clothes and clung to zhongli's leg with each of her little fists full of the silk, charcoal material of his dress pants. zhongli relished in how warmly and fondly you looked upon his children, but not before realizing how dark it had gotten outside.

before he said his goodbyes and turned to walk through your classroom door, zhongli chose to make an offer that fell perfectly in tandem to the unnatural thump of his heart: "would you care for a ride home?"

zhongli ends up giving you a ride home that day (and bites back his amusement when you eagerly gawk in awe at his fancy, sleek, black car equipped with a touchscreen gps and heated seats

with your address in his gps, zhongli ensures that you're home within thirty minutes, no more no less

his routine continues, though you did shyly ask to see xiao a few more times and he would happily oblige your request by letting xiao tag along when he'd pick up ganyu

you've also grown on him quite considerably:

your quick wit, tender kindness, and complete and utter patience is a stark contrast to the world of stoic business that zhongli is deeply familiar with

not to mention you make conversation flow so easily, to the point where zhongli felt that he could sit and listen to your voice forever, even if his conversations with you only lasted briefly and were about his kids and your jobs, before he'd leave with ganyu in tow

he finds himself staying a bit longer with every pickup, and you're more than happy to indulge him just a little longer each time

zhongli often brings you samples of tea that his company had not yet put into wide distribution; majority of the time your feedback is very positive with the occasional wonky blends or two

there's something pulling him to you and for once, zhongli doesn't feel himself pushing against the tide

even his children have noticed how fondly their papa looks at you

ganyu once asked him during a game of chess if he "like liked" you, and after asking her for a brief explanation of what that meant, he nearly choked on the cup of oolong tea he'd been sipping

though his daughter's words are childish, they haunt him while he lays awake at night and wonders: does he really have a romantic interest in you?

his thoughts are answered oddly enough the very next day, when he goes to pick ganyu up from school and a very irate looking person who isn't you, is pushing ganyu into his arms and scolds him for his lack of punctuality

ganyu explains on the drive home that the "subtute" (she can't quite pronounces "substitute" yet, as zhongli corrects her and helps her sound it out while peeping through the rearview window at traffic stops) teacher had replaced you for the day, and you were sick and home

sick, and all alone

and something tugs at his heart once he's fed and lulled his children to sleep and leans against his counter with only his thoughts to keep him company

he's not one to give into impulse easily, but with only a quick phone call to childe, he's tugging on his jacket and slipping into his car with your home in mind

zhongli felt a bit...guilty, about forgetting to delete your address from his gps. he'd be sure to apologize properly with some extra tea and goods from his shop. a shopping bag filled with tissues and ingredients for rice congee jostled in the passenger seat when his tire hit a pot hole. he wasn't quite sure what you'd like, but rice congee had always helped ganyu feel better when she'd fallen ill.

his car pulled up to your modest, warm-looking home; flower beds decorate the front yard, along with little gnomes and garden decorations. if he were to look up "welcoming" in a dictionary, he'd find a picture of your house as an example. zhongli stopped the engine and exited the car with the bag in tow, heart in his throat and palms clammy and sweaty. he's a grown man who can strike a business deal with anyone and dominates bargaining offers, but still sheepishly hesitates to knock on the wood of your door, illuminated only by the nearby streetlamps and a little metal lantern that hung to the side.

against his better judgement, his knuckles find their way onto the wood of your door and knock thrice.

his breath caught itself in his throat the minute the door creaked open and your familiar face greets him.

you're bundled up in warm looking pajamas, snowy bunny slippers on each of your feet, and a thick, pale blue blanket draped over you body like a hooded cloak. all in all, you looked quite adorable if not for the redness in your eyes and obvious struggle to breath right.

"z-zhongli! what a p-pleasant surprise!" there was obvious enthusiasm behind your voice and yet its gravelly nature couldn't lie about how awfully sick you seemed.

"i apologize for coming so late, would you be opposed to me coming inside?"

you open your mouth to respond but are immediately engulfed by a fit of coughs, to which you motion for zhongli to come no closer when his arms automatically go to catch you should you fall.

"i-i'm quite sick...i'd hate for you to catch it."

with a sheepish, boyish smile that he admittedly hadn't worn in years, zhongli held up the plastic bag with his index finger and shrugged. "i do have a strong immune system."

that seemed to be enough for you, who gestured inwards with a giggle and shut the door behind him.

your living room is relatively clean except for the occasional scatter of books and sky-high pile of kiddy drawings on a nearby table.

"excuse the mess, i-i haven't really had time to clean up, heh..." you whisper meekly, tugging the soft fleece of the blanket to conceal your face.

zhongli can't help but find the action adorable and tugged the fabric back from your face to revel in your gleaming (e/c) eyes.

"please, i insist that your home is quite lovely, (y/n)."

you emerged from your blanket burrito, embarrassment written all over your face. you eyed him curiously with a warbled smile on your lips. "are you here to discuss ganyu's progress? i'm not feeling the best right now but i am still thankfully s-sound of mind."

"no not at all, i simply...ganyu informed me that you weren't at school today and i thought i would come by and prepare some tea and rice congee for you. they are things that have helped my daughter and myself in the past so-"

"zhongli, a-are you sure? i know i appear to be a mess, but i-i'll be fine! i really would hate to keep you from your kids."

you truly were so considerate, and he knew now that he'd absolutely hate to leave you on your own to bear the brunt of your illness.

"i promise, they are fast asleep and well taken care of. i'd like to help you out as well, if you'd indulge me." much like a business deal, his hand automatically stuck itself out forwards. but when you slipped your warm hand into his, the "business" element faded away and left something much more tender and supple than he could ever recognize.

a mumbled "thank you" is all you can muster before a fit of coughs took hold of you once more.

"come now, you should be resting in bed. i shall prepare the tea and congee," he paused and pressed his forehead against yours despite the lurch of his heart upon contact with your hot skin, "hmm, you are far too warm. your fever must break and then you shall be alright."

your sleepy mumbled did far too much to his hammering heart as you trailed off into your bedroom, zhongli's hand still in yours as if you hadn't realized. your room was quite modest with a bookshelf or two lining the walls, but you ignored the pile of texts on the ground beside your bed and clambered up onto the mattress under the sheets.

"i'll be in the kitchen should you need anything." he warned just as your warmth disappeared from his hand.

a muffled "okay" from the pile of blankets underneath your body let him set off to prepare the tea and congee for your consumption, all while his hand burned pleasantly with the remnants of your touch.

with muffle thoughts and flushed cheeks, he got to work. as the tea water began to boil and his large hands stirred a pot of congee, his mind began to slip under into his deep depth of thoughts. here he was, a grown man, who still treated love like a lovesick teenaged boy. it was most shameful to him to be acting in such a manner, but it seemed to be almost out of his control. there was no use fighting the vivid blush or panting of his heart when you'd connect eyes and talk about anything.

so lost in his thoughts, zhongli had nearly forgotten about the kettle on the stove and scrambled to turn the heat off just as the congee had finished boiling.

"archons above..." he mumbled and dragged a hand over his face.

just what were you doing to him?

he'd long since discarded his work blazer on the coat rack near your front door and rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt to better accommodate the cooking space. this, however, revealed the slightly embarrassing dragon-style sleeve tattoo on his right arm he had gotten so many years ago.

much to his chagrin, it seemed to be the first thing you noticed upon his entry with the congee and tea into your room.

bundled up under layers of blankets, you immediately locked onto the intricate lines of gold and charcoal ink that layered his arm.

"such a pretty tattoo..." you mumbled and tentatively stuck your hand out to trace over the detailing.

"a mistake of my youth, but i'm glad you find beauty in it." he hummed in an attempt to ignore your electrifying touch and set the tray of congee in front of you along with the tea by your bedside.

"i really can't thank you enough, this was all very sweet of you to do for me."

your body shifted to sit upwards only to wobble and collapse back downwards onto the soft sheets with a hissed "oof". zhongli's quick reflexes ensured that the tray holding the bowl of congee wouldn't have spilled all over your sheets.

"please, i insist that i help you. do not overexert yourself further." he gently chided and pressed one of his large hands to your shoulders, leaning you back against a fortress of pillows.

"spoon feeding me now, are we? i feel like a little kid." you wriggled under the sheets and lolled your head to the side just as zhongli pulled up a chair to your bedside from your desk.

"well you must remember: i am a father of two, so i'm quite accustomed to this."

your lips parted to greet the ceramic spoonful of congee, eagerly swallowing the warm food. zhongli's keen eyes picked up on a smidge that had caught on your bottom lip and instinctively went to swipe away at it with his thumb, palm cupping your cheek, only to feel the moment your breath caught in your throat and locked gazes with you. he's sure his cheeks are flushed a rosy red and judging by the pounding of his heart in his ears, he's quite sure you heard it too.

"i- um-, apologies that was invasive-"

"no, no! y-you're alright, don't worry i just got a little flustered...it's been a while since someone has treated me so kindly, i suppose is all." you quickly reassured and placed a palm over his knuckles.

his mind wandered back to ganyu's question, and though he's not quite sure of a solid answer, as you babble on about how sweet ganyu is while he spoonfeeds you congee and helps you sip tea, he does begin to think that what he feels around you can be described as "like liking".

zhongli commits himself to staying by your side until you feel better

which means he does end up falling asleep at your bedside in the chair with his arms folded on your bed

as soon as he's awake, he's immediately on the phone with childe, apologizing profusely and reassuring him that he'll add on extra pay and more vacation days for the poor ginger

you're also an apologizing mess, but zhongli quickly shuts you down and reassures you that he'd rather have kept you company than you be all by your lonesome

he leaves that day with awakened butterflies swimming around in his stomach, but not without stopping at home first to greet his children and get them ready for the day

ganyu's questions about where her papa went are relentless and much unlike her usual quiet and shy self

whereas xiao clings to his pants leg for most of the time it takes zhongli to get ganyu ready for school

since his first visit, you often invite zhongli over

the invites are masked under "discussing ganyu's education" but in reality, you two sit and discuss so many things over a pot of freshly brewed tea

he finds himself coming to you a lot with new proposals and ideas for his company and your input almost always results in success! (except for the one time you mistakenly thought tea from pine trees would be a good idea, yikes)

his visits to your classroom are also a running ordeal, and he's begun driving you home as well even if you insist on not being a burden

"it's hardly a burden if i'm offering, now come, i wouldn't want you walking alone during nightfall."

even his children had begun to notice how close their papa and you were

ganyu would always ask to accompany him if she knew he was heading out to see you, and some times he'd have to indulge her because how can he say no to his little girl? (you're more than happy to have ganyu over at your house either way)

and xiao has surprisingly taken quite a liking to you after you showed up with your own homemade almond tofu and asked him to be your first taste tester (your almond tofu is now xiao approved)

you grow to become close friends with zhongli, and he finds that time seems to slip from his hands whenever he's engaged in a conversation with you

everything you touch, all the topics you speak of, they feel so incredibly warm in his chest

the more you talk, the closer you get

and one day, zhongli finally gets the courage to invite you over for dinner at his penthouse

"papa has a date?" ganyu asked with an innocent tilt of her head to complete the look. her little feet dangled over the end of the bathroom counter she sat on, and brushed the edge of her pretty pink dress as childe fixed a matching pink bow into her periwinkle locks.

"you bet he do-"

"no, little deer, papa does not have a date." zhongli scolded and eyed childe with a sharp look in his eye as he fixed his charcoal tie in the ceiling high mirror beside the bathroom counter.

"oh come now, mister zhongli, what part of this isn't a date? i haven't seen you so nervous since xiao's birth." childe poked and hoisted ganyu from the counter into the air. "isn't that right wittle ganyu wanyu? aww look how pretty you look!" childe cooed in his baby voice and spun her around in the air, making sure to rile up a good amount of giggles from her before he set her down. ganyu scurried quickly out of the bathroom lest she be subject to any more of childe's antics.

"this isn't a date, merely a dinner with a friend and my children." zhongli replied once ganyu was out of earshot

childe snorted and leaned against the bathroom counter with his arms crossed. "yeah, a friend that you run straight to for advice on tea flavors rather than the actual advisors that work for you."

"it's nothing more than a dinner, i can assure you that."

"oh? really? what's with the fancy getup then?"

it was rare for zhongli to feel such a buildup of irritation, cringing as it manifested into a nervous, weighted pit in his stomach. he owed a lot to childe, but as of right now he was being little more than a fly hovering in front of his face.

"alright, alright, i know when to call it quits, boss," childe raised his hands in surrender, metaphoric white flag waving pathetically, and strolled past zhongli on his way out of the bathroom, "i'm a phone call away if you need anything." he clamped a hand down on zhongli's shoulder with an encouraging smile and headed out to the front door.

zhongli would be damned if he said he didn't need the extra encouragement—his previous dates had gone running for the hills once they spotted xiao's toys or ganyu's coloring books, and yet you willingly chose to come over and tread the grounds of the unknown despite knowing he had kids. it thawed his heart ever so slightly.

"papa, is mister childe not eating with us?" zhongli broke from his thoughts upon feeling the slight tug of his dress pants via ganyu's little hand.

"not today, little deer," his knees stooped to collect ganyu into his arms and hold up her against his chest, "but we do have another important guest, so i must ask that you be on your best behavior. could you do that for papa?"

ganyu nodded feverishly, periwinkle locks that had been styled up into a pretty ponytail bounced with each motion of her head.

"very good." he hummed and smoothed down her frazzled locks.

as if on cue, xiao stumbled in past the bathroom door on shaky legs with his arms outstretched and eyes wide, watery, and wandering. how was it possible that zhongli had contributed to the birth of something so adorable? it was a question he often asked himself at moments like this when his children managed to wriggle their way into his heart.

"alright, little one, i know, i know." his back groaned as he shifted ganyu to one arm and stooped down to hoist xiao with his other arm.

xiao instantly went limp against the heat of his father, little dress shirt and clip-on-tie scrunched up against his coiled body as he pressed himself inwards to zhongli's chest. zhongli's amber eyes roamed the peaceful visages of his children, comfortable and safe in his arms. and for a moment, he recalled the many times you had held his children in such a similar manner—as if they were your own, with such tender, supple love and adoration in your eyes.

the gentle pound of three knocks against the door of his penthouse broke him from his thoughts.

"is that the important guest, papa?" ganyu asked, stretching her neck to peer at the door from around the hallway.

a hummed laugh bubbled up from the depths of his throat as he nodded and began hurriedly pacing towards the door. "it is indeed, and i'm sure you'll be quite excited to see who it is, little deer."

despite the outward courage and nonchalance he displayed, his insides were a gooey mess of nervousness that he hadn't felt in years. he managed to thickly swallow down a dry patch of air that had been caught in his throat and shuffled his children around in his arms so that his clammy hand could grasp the cool metal of the door lock.

the wood pulled open and zhongli felt his breath hitch once more in his throat.

elegant cloths draped over your skin and hugged and pooled around your body like an antique fountain. your hair had been styled so uniquely, and on your face lay your usual tender smile, and he couldn't help but bite back the thought that you were dangerously attractive.

"papa close mouf!" xiao's stubby little hand moved to zhongli's jaw and unceremoniously pushed upwards; he hasn't even realized that his jaw had gone slack.

"he's right you know, you'll swallow flies if you keep your mouth open like that." you quipped and smoothed over the top of xiao's fluffy hair, allowing your nails to scratch gently over zhongli's skin for just a brief moment (he'd have buckled at the knees if not for his children in his arms).

"need a hand?" you giggled and held your hands out in an invitation to him.

ganyu immediately clambered forwards, joy illuminated in her eyes as you scooped her into your arms.

"teacher (y/n)! are you here for dinner with us?" ganyu asked, fisting the fabric of your clothes.

you meet zhongli's stunned gaze with a slightly amused glimmer in your eyes and speak unspoken words to him in the brief moment your eyes connect, before you turn to look at ganyu.

"i sure am!" you reply and fix her bow into place. "my you look so pretty! your brother looks dashing too." you cooed and gently pinched the soft chubbiness of xiao's cheek.

"and your father..." your eyes meet his once again and zhongli's insides become a mess, "...looks quite handsome." you packaged a coy smile for him and fixed the silky fabric of his tie back down into the center from its crooked position.

zhongli managed to snap out of his stupor and moved to pick up your hand. your mouth opened to intervene and ask what he was doing, but the soft, tender flesh of his lips against your knuckles halted all and any questions you might have had.

"thank you, for coming this evening. you look beyond stunning." his voice vibrates against the skin of your hand, and you know you're a goner when flashes of his smile hit your heart like a beacon.

zhongli's not exactly known for being a mess but he can't help but want to impress you

he's pulled out all the stops for making this dinner go as wonderfully as possible

all the dishes are hand-made himself, and the desserts were made with the help of ganyu and the slight help of xiao (it was a challenge to not let him near the almond tofu though)

despite the aggravated pounding of his heart, he does his best to be a gentleman: leads you to the dining room by the hand, pulls out your chair for you, and pours you sparkling water all with xiao in one arm

the dinner overall goes quite well!

just like before, conversation is quite easy between you and zhongli despite the lingering alluring tension in the air between the two of you

but in addition to that, zhongli admires how you communicate with his children

ganyu has a tendency to ramble about things she really likes, and so you patiently nodded along as she recounted the story of a novel her papa had read to her the other night in between bites of crystal shrimp and adeptus' temptation

and upon discovering xiao's love for sweets, you were more than happy to slide him an extra portion of your almond tofu just to see the elated glimmer in his golden eyes (and though the action didn't go unnoticed by zhongli, he let it slide just this one since he found it adorable)

but there were a few hiccups here and there

xiao accidentally managed to spill his juice over his bib and the sensation is enough to have him sniffling

but before zhongli can react, you're already scooping him into your arms and rocking him back and forth until his tears had settled

ganyu had accidentally dropped a plate while helping her papa carry the dishes to the sink, and like before, you swoop in and immediately comfort her while zhongli hurries to grab a cutesy bandage and a dustpan for the broken porcelain

your skin connects briefly with his over the course of the meal as you reached for salt or swooped in to wipe food away from xiao's chubby little face

the tension between zhongli and you is so palpable that he was sure if he breathed in too much he'd be consumed by you

xiao had immediately fallen asleep at the table, and ganyu had been tiredly rubbing her eyes

but you'd taken the liberty of bringing each child to their bedroom and let zhongli redress them in their night clothes

and as he watched from their bedroom doors, how you tucked ganyu in and kissed her forehead goodnight, and made sure xiao had his stuffed bird and fleece blanket, he knew that his mind had come up with an answer to the question that had been haunting him for months

there was no denying that the question ganyu had asked him a while ago was one he could answer now

zhongli finished pouring a second glass of wine just as you emerged from the hallway to the kid's rooms.

"wine?" he offers, stretching out a glass to you from across the immaculate amber marble counter.

your brows furrow in thought before easing with a shrug of acceptance. "sounds lovely, what kind?" you ask between sugary inhales of the sweet liquid.

"osthmanthus. a fine brew i save for exemplary occasions such as this one." he smiled and scooped your hand into his to once again press his lips to the back of your knuckles. "have i told you how lovely you looked tonight?" he hummed with a coy brush of his nose against your hand.

"you have, but i wouldn't mind hearing it again from you." you smile against the rim of your glass and take a modest sip.

"come, the view from the veranda will be far more to your liking." his elbow jutted outwards in true gentlemanly fashion.

"i feel like royalty, you're quite the gentleman, zhongli." you teased and looped your arm through his.

"ah, that pleases me to hear. you deserve nothing less than the best treatment." he hummed and slid open the glass door for you to step out onto the balcony.

his forearms found their way pressed against the metal railing of the balcony overlooking the many twinkling lights of the bustling city below, wine glass still in hand. cars screeched and lights flared vivaciously and yet nothing could draw his attention away from the manner in which the world reflected like a kaleidoscope in your glimmering eyes.

despite the easy smile on his face, his heart nearly jolted out of his chest when you melted into his side and leaned your warmth onto his body. his arm unconsciously moved to shelter your body from the slight chilly evening breeze and it's when your eyes lock that he realizes just how close the two of you are.

zhongli set his wine glass down with trembling hands, not trusting himself to hold a proper grip on the glass without it slipping from his hands. much to his surprise, you downed the entire contents and placed the glass on a nearby table.

"the wine tasted really good...everything tasted really good tonight." you mumbled, more fixated on the structure of his face than the lingering droplets of wine in your mouth. "thank you for inviting me." with a smile warmer than a summer's day, your lips curled upwards and met his heart in the middle.

he was sure you could hear the aggressive pounding of his heart with how your ear had pressed itself against his chest.

"the pleasure was all mine, i insist. you were lovely to host for dinner." his fingers daringly moved upwards to swipe a bead of wine that had clung to your lips. the spur of confidence he'd been looking for all night had finally dropped into his lap when your hand overlapped his and allowed him to cup your cheek.

"ganyu had informed me of quite a peculiar term a while ago." he murmured, not breaking eye contact or removing his hand from your cheek.

"what would that be?" there's an inquisitive, invisible dance of tension beneath your layered words; unmistakable in his eyes no less.

"she inquired as to whether or not i...'like liked' you," your adorable giggles muffled by his palm interrupt him and he finds himself smiling along.

"ah yes, i'm aware that the manner by which i address this is a bit...childish but-"

"but nothing, zhongli," you murmured and pressed your palm against his lips to silence him, "keep going, it's sweet."

"very well," he chuckled and maneuvered your body so your chest molded against his and his hands settled at your hips.

"i've given much thought to her question, and i think that now i must admit..." his voiced mused in tandem to the gentle rising of his hands to cup your cheeks and lock gazes with you; deep enough to where his heart began to pound at the swell in your pupils,

"you occupy all crevices and cracks of my mind every hour of every day, and it's beyond any shadow of a doubt that i do indeed 'like like' you."

the thick bands of tension had finally come undone and what was left were the tender pulsations of both of your synchronous hearts. your lips parted and fell agape at his honesty and tender words masked beyond a childish shield.

"i-i recognize the implications of my words and by no means do i wish to force-"

"i do too."

his ramble is immediately halted with your gentle touch on his cheek to mimic his tender hold on your face. peering at your face reveals an endless treasure trove of piled on affections ravished by the illuminations of the city lights. your free hand gently wraps around his tie and tugs him impossibly closer before you whisper just under your breath,

"i like like you too."

his breathed hitched rigidly in his throat, the familiar jumpy nervousness coming back to bite him as his lips part to ask, "may i kiss you?"

he only needed a single nod of your head to dive inwards and slot his lips against yours. the immediate connection of skin sent a tingling feeling of electricity through his veins; a feeling that he thought he'd long forgotten. his eyes slipped shut and he let himself drown in your ocean. he'd lost count of how many times he'd laid awake at night imagining this exact scenario; how tender and supple your lips would feel against his or the reverent warmth emanating from your body.

your hands entangled themselves in his chocolatey locks just as his large hand moved downwards to splay against the small of your back. his lips hugged yours with such gentle intimacy, you'd swear you'd come undone in his arms if your embrace continued any longer.

a sudden clutter of noise drew your faces back from each other, breathy and flustered in the face. you longingly stare at each other for what felt like an eternity before you remembered the noise. both of your heads whipped towards the sliding door only to see a flustered ganyu whose tiny hands covered over xiao's eyes, still in their night clothes. a vivid blush covered the span of her nose and cheeks, and a single glance to the left would point to a tipped-over vase as the source of noise. she most likely knocked it over trying to back away from the sliding door.

"she must have seen us..." you gasp apologetically, but zhongli is quick to quell your worries with nothing but a gentle smile.

"i-i'm sorry p-papa..." ganyu stuttered and folded in on herself, clutching the hand of her brother tightly as zhongli slid the door open.

"it's alright, little deer. but you and your brother should really be asleep right now. it's quite late." he cooed, stooping down to be at eye level with her.

xiao shrugged ganyu's hands away from his eyes and stumbled towards you with outstretched hands out onto the balcony.

"aww, i think they missed you, zhongli." you mused and scooped the toddler into your arms, who melted into the crook of your neck.

"perhaps you mean that they missed you, (y/n)." he chuckled and gathered his daughter into his arms.

his hand guided you by the small of your back to the railing once more, a child in each of your arms. zhongli's arm maneuvered itself to wrap around your shoulders with ganyu nestled comfortably in his other arm. you gratefully leaned into his side and pressed a chaste kiss to his jaw as a sign of thanks. in that moment, something in zhongli finally clicked perfectly into place when he realized just how much of a family member you'd become.

"teacher (y/n)?" ganyu called, cheek smushed against her papa's shoulder.

"yes?" you hummed, hoisting the now sleeping xiao in your arms.

"do you and my papa...like like each other?"

zhongli can't help but fall into your depths when you look at him so lovingly with his child in your arms, and there's no hesitation in his reply nor does he break his gaze from you when he replies, "yes, we do."

he really like likes you.

date published: october 21st, 2021

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #zhongli x reader #zhongli #zhongli genshin impact #genshin zhongli #zhongli headcanons #zhongli drabbles #zhongli scenarios #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact imagines #genshin headcanons #genshin imagines #genshin fluff #genshin impact fluff #zhongli x gender neutral reader #works—☆

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windwheeler-aster · 2 years

Text

bad dreams and sleepless nights

summary: your partner has awful nightmares, to the point where you know how to comfort them now. now, how exactly do you comfort them?

masterlist

pairings (separate): beidou, xiao, jean, kaeya, and shehe x reader

reader info: gender neutral pronouns (they/them) and reader is not traveler

word count: 2,373 words

genre: romance, reverse comfort

format: headcanons and blurbs

warnings: mentions of nightmares, nightmares from trauma, spoilers for character’s backstories, characters having anxiety, anxiety triggers and mentions, spiraling, suggestive (if you squint) for shenhe’s part, shenhe being slightly possevive

a/n: i haven’t been able to sleep lately, not because of bad dreams, but because of insomnia. so if i must suffer so shall my favorite characters! muhaaha!! im kidding ofc, please read with care and at your own risk💖

song recommendation: Beautiful Boy by John Lennon

xiao says he doesn’t really need sleep

but after you two became a couple, he definitely enjoyed it more

it’s just so nice for him to wake up next to you, or at least watch you wake up

he really enjoys it :)

what xiao does not enjoy was the nightmares he gets from karmic debt

they’re awful and drain him each time he has to experience one

the next day, xiao will need to stay in bed (not sleeping) and eating some almond tofu to recover

when he gets those nightmares they scare him out of sleeping for a few weeks

you understand him, of course, and do try your best to comfort him

but xiao doesn’t seem to understand that

Xiao glanced over to your sleeping form, watching intently as you breathed in and out. Over the time you’ve been together, he has noted that you look the most at peace while you slept. Xiao was always tempted to share a bed with you. He even fell asleep with you, but it never lasted long.

“Honey?” He murmured.

You still were asleep, not even stirring awake. Xiao cherished the fact that you were a deep sleeper, but now was not the time for it.

Xiao reached out to your shoulder and gently shook it. “I need you right now. Please wake up.”

His gentle pleas made their way to your ears. Quickly, you rub away the sleep from your eyes and sit up.

“Hm? Xiao? Is something wrong?” You asked, trying to stay awake.

Regret filled Xiao. He will admit that he wanted your comfort after his intense nightmare, but he still felt shameful for asking. Xiao just froze up as his brain tried to find an acceptable excuse for waking you up.

You finally managed to shake off any remaining sleep, feeling confused at why you were awake at this hour. When you glanced over at Xiao, it’s difficult to not notice how shaken he looked.

“Another nightmare?”

He nodded. “Sorry for waking you up. I just wanted to hear your voice. Sorry.”

You gave him a questionable look, surprised at his bashfulness.

“Xiao, it’s literally my job to comfort you,” You scoot over to his side, wrapping your arms around him. “Don’t be sorry.”

He would have protested at that, reminding you that it wasn’t your job to do that. But the way you just instantly reassured and comforted him made the words die in his throat.

Xiao let the worries and stress from his nightmare disappear as he sinks into your embrace. A soft sigh leaves his lips when you begin to press kisses across his forehead.

“Thank you,” He murmurs, “I really appreciate it.”

You chuckle as you kiss him directly. “Anything for you, Xiao.”

song recommendation: Ship in a Bottle by fin

even though she’s a very confident and loud person, beidou gets nightmares too

she has a lot of worries about her ship and crew, especially about you

of course she trusts them completely, but those worries won’t stop invading her head every time she retires for the night

usually a drink helps her calm down, but she’s been trying to lay off the drinks because she has you in her life now

the worry only worsens at night when she can’t sleep

so many questions float through her head. there’s too many what-if’s that come to mind when she thinks of them

it bothers you that she’s bottling this all up, trying not to make a big deal of it

so, one night, when she is sitting at the edge of the bed instead of sleeping, you reach over to comfort her

You reached out to her right shoulder. “Hey.”

Beidou stopped trembling and released her head from her clutches. She leaned into your touch as you rubbed her shoulder.

“I’m sorry for bothering you,” Beidou murmured, rubbing the corner of her good eye with her knuckle. “I’m just really worried about... everything.”

You scoot over to her side. “I would be too. I imagine taking care of The Crux is hard.”

“It is,” Beidou leaned into you, “but I’m good at leading them.”

You pressed a kiss to her temple. “Of course you are. You have to be if you have a group like that for a crew.”

“So why am I worrying?”

Beidou looks at you with both her eyes, trying to get something from you. Some reassurance or guidance, maybe even more praise. But Beidou only saw her sleepy partner starring at the wall, deep in thought.

“You need to ask yourself that question,” You kiss her cheek and hover near her ear. “But I still think you’re doing a wonderful job, love.”

Beidou squirmed as you chuckled. She watched you crawl back into bed and got yourself comfortable. You looked up at her and smiled.

“Everything will be okay,” You yawned. “I promise.”

Beidou didn’t look too convinced, but she pushed away those annoying thoughts. She found her place by your side and pulled the covers over the two of you.

“You really mean that?” She murmured. “All of it?”

You opened your heavy eyelids. “Hm? Of course. I love you. And I believe in you, Beidou.”

Her heart fluttered. “Okay. Thank you.”

Beidou and you found your way into each other’s arms. You guided her head onto your collarbone, lightly scratching her scalp as you did so. Beidou let out a quiet sigh and welcomed your love. She was slow to wrap her arms around you, but her touch was caring.

With each breath she took, Beidou began to become even more tired. Only after a few more moments of scratching her scalp and rubbing her forearms did she fully enter a deep sleep.

You smirked and gave a few kisses to her temple, blessing Bediou’s thoughts and dreams for the rest of the night.

“You’re cute when you sleep,” You yawn. “I bet you’re even more cute in my dreams. Goodnight, love.”

song recommendation: Anxiety Song by Human Petting Zoo

oh, poor jean

you often have to drag her away from her work, promising her that it’ll be there in the morning or on monday

but that only makes her more anxious than anything else

if jean’s not productive and spending all of her time fixing the problems; the problems will only get worse

and then everyone in mondstadt will be mad and she’ll be a fraud

and she’s not like her sister barbara. she can’t make everyone happy with a song and dance

as jean sits in your shared bed, not realizing that anxiety has consumed her, she hears your voice and feels your touch

“You better be relaxing,” You murmured. “Today is your mandatory day off. You gotta relax.”

Jean crossed her arms, scratching at her forearms lightly. “It’s easy for you to say that. You don’t have to worry about everyone being disappointed in you.”

You sat up from where you rested on the bed. Jean was on the other side of it, wrapped in blankets and pillows galore. But given her appearance, she looked like an angry marsh mellow. The chub on her cheeks puffed out as she frowned, tempting you to bite them.

“You’re right, I don’t have to worry about that,” You crawl over to her. “All I have to worry about is my amazing girlfriend, who is not giving herself a break at all.”

Jean huffed as you found your place on her lap. Her hands found yours’ as she began to fidget with that now. It was better than scratching up her arms.

“It just feels like everyone is counting on me. It’s incredibly overwhelming and I only feel like I can have a sense of control when I’m in control. And when I’m in control everyone is even more dependent and there’s even more problems going on.”

You nodded. “Don’t you have coworkers to help you with that?”

“I do, it’s just-” Jean sighed. “I just feel like they’re not meeting the Grand Master’s Expectation, and that worries me.”

“Oh? Like what?”

“Don’t even get me started on that Calvary-” Jean looked down at you. “Are you even listening to me?”

“S’not my fault your voice is calming,” You giggled. “Especially when you get all ranty.”

Jean squinted down at you. “Wait, is this one of your weird ways of getting me to de-stress?”

“...is it working?”

“Kind of.” She admitted.

You snuggled into her. “Now, tell me about your day.”

song recommendation: Mr Blue by Catherine Feeny

normally when you two sleep together, kaeya moves a little bit while asleep

casual things like moving his hands around you, putting his head near yours

...sometimes straight up whacking you with his arm when he rolls over in bed...

there have been plenty of times when he accidently scratched or whacked you while he was sleep

if you ask him about it in the morning or right there, he will apologize profusely

but the movements get really bad when he has nightmares

kaeya physically thrashes and rolls hard off the bed when he gets them

it’s almost like an automatic response his body has whenever the nightmare is ending

the nightmares aren’t that frequent, luckily

but they still aren’t fun for kaeya and you to experience

The loud thud onto the ground was only another confirmation for you that Kaeya had a nightmare. The first one was a hit to your chest, and following that was the blankets being torn off and dragged away. You were awake already, the sting on your chest fading away by the second.

Kaeya lets out a low and drawn out curse as you make your way off the bed and to his side.

Kaeya’s left eye glances from place to place in your room. His hands prop him up on the floor as he heaves a breath in and out. His hair hanged in his face, loose and feather-like when you brushed it behind his left ear. When you make contact with his skin, it freezes and slowly focuses on your face.

“Hey,” You whispered. “You alright?”

It takes him a moment before he can nod. “Yeah, just... shaken up.”

“Do you want some water or food? I think there’s some leftovers you can eat.”

He grimaced. “No, I’ll be fine. I’ll just go back to sleep.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah. Maybe. I don’t know.” He shakes his head, tossing his light hair and bringing a hand up to his bad eye. “The dream was just... a lot.”

You help Kaeya stand, placing one of your hands at his lower back. You two stand together, blankets abandoned at your feet.

“Do you want me to hold you?” You asked.

Kaeya hesitates before nodding. “Yes. Please.”

You bring your other hand to his lower back before trailing to his upper back. He drops his head on your shoulder. You press your chest to his as you murmur comforting words to him. His hands find your waist and hug you tightly.

The words you murmur do help him, truthfully. He might not show it, but your sweet words ease him. Kaeya relaxes enough to let out a few tears, careful to wipe them away so they don’t ruin your clothes.

After a few minutes of standing, Kaeya feels sleep consume him once again. You quietly tuck him back into bed, and brushed some of the hair out of his face. He seems more calm now, allowing himself to succumb to it.

You kiss him before he fully goes to sleep, earning a faint smile from Kaeya.

“You look like a prince when you sleep. You know that?”

Kaeya squirms away from your next kiss, making it land on his cheek instead of his lips. “Stop, you’re going to make me flustered.”

You let out a giggle and kiss his other cheek. “Alright, if you say so. Prince.”

He chuckles as his eyelids droop down to cover both of his beautiful eyes. Soon enough, Kaeya is sleeping peacefully under the blankets.

“Sweet dreams, my sleeping prince.”

song recommendation: Stay by Miranda

shenhe has awful nightmares

most of the time it’s about her worst fears and anxieties coming true

but sometimes they show her losing control and hurting you

in some nightmares, you leave her forever

which terrifies shenhe to her core

expect a worried shenhe waking up after a nightmare and quickly grabbing onto you

sometimes she’s gentle and considerate, not even startling you awake

other times her touch is so desperate it instantly startles you

she feels bad for being “needy” (literally just asking for help and comfort) when she does this

but it honestly helps shenhe when she cuddles you

Shenhe quickly sat up, panic seeming to course through her veins. Her fists clenched the blankets, the tips of her knuckles turning white. The blankets did little to comfort her frenzy mind as she tried to focus. Slowly, Shenhe looked around the room as she counted her breaths.

Her multicolored eyes found you. You looked so peaceful, so stunning and gorgeous and her’s. You weren’t gone, you weren’t bleeding out in her arms, you were here. Shenhe’s eyes softened and she gently reached out.

“Hmm?” You murmured out. “Shenhe? Are you awake?”

“I’m fine,” Shenhe replied as she cuddled up behind your back. “Just go back to bed, okay?”

You muttered something in your drowsy state before Shenhe heard you snoring away. She refrained from giggling at your sleepy voice. Instead, her hands found their place on your waist and squeezed. She knew you would tease her about it, but Shenhe didn’t really care.

As her hands felt around your body, Shenhe couldn’t help but smile. Just being with you and having you in her arms calmed her right down. It would take her a while to get back to sleep, of course. But you were here; that’s all that matters.

“Was it another nightmare?” You tried to face her. “Is everything okay?”

Shenhe nudged you back and pressed her face into your back. “I’m fine now that you’re here with me.”

“Shenhe, you don’t need to lie about it,”

“I’m fine, really,” Shenhe interrupted. “Go back to bed.”

You were still hesitant to comply, but you did. If this was how you could help Shenhe, you’d do it.

“Alright,” You murmur. “Goodnight, love.”

“Goodnight, my love,” Shenhe whispers into your ear. “Sweet dreams.”

thank you for reading 💖 all forms of interaction to my posts are appreciated 💖

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